Because of widespread power outages that I cannot imagine will get fixed by morning, we will go ahead and close tomorrow and cancel classes.
I hope that you and your families are safe. The winds hit us hard but at least moved past quickly. We’ll wait until morning light to see what damage they caused across the region.
In all my decades growing up in New Orleans, I have never experienced an actual eye crossing over and the eerie calm therein. It reminded me of my favorite novel, in which Zora Neale Hurston writes about a far more fierce hurricane – “They looked out into the darkness but their eyes were watching God.”
This has been a year of humility in the face of the vast power of nature. A year of relentless hardship, but also resilience and hope. We’ve stopped asking what more 2020 can throw at us (please no one ask that question!) but we also know now how strong we can be.
Be safe. Try to sleep.