<p>[1991</a> Perfect Storm - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Perfect_Storm]1991”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Perfect_Storm)</p>
<p>I’m kind of scared… I’ve never lived on the East Coast. Will College Hill prevent flooding from hitting the school?</p>
<p>The only worry about flooding is the streets and dorm basements as leaves clog the drains and force the water to go other places. You’ll be fine inside. Honestly, it’s not a big deal - we had a hurricane hit last fall and there wasn’t much flooding. Just make sure you have a flashlight in case the power goes out. If it gets bad enough, Brown will distribute emergency kits and keep people informed.</p>
<p>Okay I see - thanks so much for the information! :)</p>
<p>Just wondering - did Hurricane Irene cause widespread power outages near Brown? If so, how long did they happen for?</p>
<p>Power tends not to go out at Brown, but may on Thayer and the surrounding areas. Most of Brown’s power lines are underground and safe from the wind. I live Downcity and virtually never have an outage for the same reason. Hurricanes and snow storms typically knock out power by dropping a tree on a power line. So if you look up and don’t see wires you’re probably OK, baring some wider grid issues.</p>
<p>In 1978, the entire state of Rhode Island was paralyzed by a blizzard – there was 3 feet of snow, I-95 was like a parking lot, nothing was getting into or out of the state. It was really really bad (google it). Brown shut down for a week, which I think was unprecedented and has not happened since. But there was power on campus.</p>
<p>The power outages during Irene were very minimal - maybe 10 minutes a few times. Classes have been cancelled for tomorrow, but I think that’s more due to the rain.</p>
<p>Yes, during the '78 blizzard, Brown was about the best place to be in RI. (Those of us who were there count it as one of our favorite experiences!) Had heat, power and food when other places didn’t and was kind of like a big party/everyone help out and have fun break. Not that I would necessarily hope for a state wide State of Emergency, but Brown is a good place to be.</p>