The alarm bells sounded for days leading up to the big whiteout of ’26. We all knew it was coming, but somehow no one was prepared. Snow mountains soared, some as high as a foot and a half. There were slick frozen lakes where sidewalks once stood. Schools were closed for an entire day.
The effects of last week’s much-discussed winter storm are still being felt all around us. Students rushing across campus are all too familiar with the sudden feeling of the ground giving way beneath them as they slip on the walking path. The sensation that you’re moving, but the sky is getting bigger and the buildings are getting smaller. Buckle up, everyone. Winter Storm Fern is just the beginning.
Jokes aside, the storm was catastrophic. It stretched across much of the country, blanketing communities in snow and ice and bringing destruction in its wake. More than 119 fatalities were reported nationwide, including 15 in Maine. This was not a minor inconvenience, the risks were very real.
Closing campus on Monday, Jan. 26, was a smart decision for the administration to make. It mitigated risks for those commuting to work or school and allowed the city to focus on clearing streets without the added strain of Black Bear traffic. With the storm continuing throughout the day, keeping everyone home was the wise choice. But the real question wasn’t how Monday would be handled, it was what would come next. How would the grounds be managed? Would campus be safe and ready to reopen by Tuesday?
We all waited with bated breath for the alert to come out, sitting by our phones like some 1930s family gathered around the wireless waiting for President Franklin D. Roosevelt to begin his fireside chat. Then it happened.
“University of Maine campus closed until 9:30.”
Well, that’s something, at least.
As expected, the next morning was a mad dash of people careening toward UMaine at breakneck speed, trying to find parking while also enjoying the quasi-break gifted so generously amid the carnage left behind by Fern. Snow drifts, shoved hastily aside, were nearly as tall as the trees as the facilities team did its best to prepare the grounds for students, faculty and staff. Suffice it to say, reopening at 9:30 was an attempt at a plan but ultimately not our best effort.
Serious kudos are due for how well the team performed under the circumstances. It cannot be easy to keep pace with Mother Nature, and the staff deserves genuine thanks. UMaine should not have reopened until at least noon on Tuesday because conditions still were not safe that morning. While the desire to resume normal operations is understandable, an hour-and-a-half delay was not enough time for facilities to do their job or for students to reach campus safely.
This will undoubtedly not be the last major storm of the winter season in Maine, and it is my sincere hope that when the next event occurs, the university will consider not only the storm itself but also give people adequate time to recover the following day.
