Cox's Corner: Sandy Spared The Valley, But Many On Campus Still Affected By The Storm

BRIDGEWATER, Va. - When Hurricane Sandy was barrelling up the Eastern seaboard last week, the weather reports for the Shenandoah Valley were not very encouraging.

High winds, heavy rains and even a blizzard warning were part of the daily forecasts. Power outages were expected.

Luckily, most of the Valley was spared from the wrath of Sandy and for that we can be thankful. Often times, however, we become so isolated in our little personal cocoons that we fail to realize that there are many in the Valley who were indeed impacted by the extreme weather.

More than a handful of our student-athletes here at Bridgewater come from areas ravaged by the storm.

Bridgewater college freshman Tom Krug came to the Valley from Sayville, N.Y. on Long Island as part of Mic Grant's first men's lacrosse recruiting class.

Krug talked to his sister Erin and found out that his home area was hit hard by Sandy. Nearby areas of Babylon and Lindenhurst were among the hardest hit on Long Island.

"My sister said that the water was waist deep in some places closer to the shore. I live about five minutes from the shore and my sister said huge trees were down and power was out everywhere," Krug said. "Some people were told to expect to be without power for as long as 21 days. Homes and streets were flooded everywhere. All the stoplights are out and police are working around the clock directing traffic. Everyone is living caveman style."

Click HERE to view photos from Long Island

Krug's is just one account of Hurricane Sandy's destruction.

Following are some more personal accounts and photos from campus members depicting the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Lauren Casey is an equestrian team member from Wakefield, Rhode Island. Wakefield is right off Narraganset, off Block Island Sound. The following is Lauren's account.

"Unfortunately my town was hit really hard including my house which is three miles from the water. Rhode Island got hit by a hurricane two years ago, destroying the first floor of my house right before Easter. This year my parents were prepared with a water pump and a generator. The high winds coming from the north were a huge factor this time because luckily the trees missed a lot of houses but people in our neighborhood can't get out of their roads with so many trees down. A tree came down on our shed holding all of my dad's lawn equipment and damaging everything. My entire town is also assumed to be out of power for more than two weeks and everyone is worried about fresh water. My sister's school is very close to the water and the entire street is flooded about mid-calf height. Talking to my cousin, the places we used to hang out and work at - Coast Guard House, Matunuck Oyster Bar, Dunes Club, and Jim's Dock - are all completely destroyed, just pulled into the ocean by large waves. Snow plows are going through town to push sand and backed up sewage off the roads for miles. My family and town is very appreciative of the support of the school and it means a lot to me as a student!" Lauren's uncle is a police officer and he and her cousin were able to go out and get some pictures of the destruction. Photos from Rhode Island

Jessica Balsano is a field hockey player from Sandy Hook, Connecticut. Jessica sent a few photos showing the afternath from her area. Connecticut photos

Amy Cristallo is an equestrian team member from Yorktown Heights, N.Y. The following is her account of the storm.

"My hometown of Yorktown Heights, N.Y., which is a 40-minute train ride from the city, got pretty torn up from Sandy. My parents were stuck in the house since Monday with no power for now three days. There are trees and wires down everywhere. The whole town is out of power so it's not like they can get something to eat, gas or shop until the power comes back on."

Ryan Wogansky is a sophomore football player from Egg Harbor Township, N.J., just minutes from Atlantic City. "As you know New Jersey got hit pretty hard. My fence was taken down, but other than that, everything and everyone at my house was OK. My grandparents live right off of the shore and their car got trapped in the flood and was destroyed. And Atlantic City, which is 10  minutes from my house, was hit hard with flooding and the boardwalk was destroyed." Photos from New Jersey

Emily Townsend is a freshman swimmer from Hampton. Emily noted the Hampton area suffered less damage than expected. "In all honesty my area wasn't too badly affected. It was mainly just some flooding on some previously flood-prone roads and my family never even lost power. It was definitely a lot less damage than anticipated! The James River Bridge was nearly completely underwater though, so the areas right on the beach were probably a lot more affected. It was weird how significant the damage was in some places and how moderate it was in others. I guess I was lucky!"