The effects of the storm were not as severe as news outlets predicted and proved milder than the aftermath of Hurricane Irene last year, according to Collis staff member Grant Drake.
"From what I was hearing on the news, I thought it was going to be a lot worse than it was," he said. "I guess it missed us."
Collis staff member Anna Magoon said she did not take any extra preparations for the storm because she did not expect the conditions to be very severe, but she continually watched the news and listened to the radio for updates.
Buildings and trees were relatively unaffected, potentially due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Irene, Collis staff member David Kaffeian said.
"When Irene came through, it totally devastated the area that I live in," Kaffeian said. "So most of the big trees and other weak structures had already been taken out last year."
Everything But Anchovies employee Danielle Paro said that the restaurant closed at 5 p.m. on Monday to avoid putting employees at risk. During Hurricane Irene, delivery drivers struggled to return to the restaurant, she said.
"We deliver both on and off-campus, so especially in some of the communities we deliver to, there were trees down and roads closed," Paro said. "We didn't want delivery drivers to be stuck somewhere. I know that Hartford had road closures, Quechee had several roads closed and in Lebanon there were power lines down or trees down. I couldn't even get home."
Salt Hill Pub of Lebanon staff member Joshua McGary said that the restaurant was minimally affected by the storm, but business was slower due to the declaration of emergency by Gov. John Lynch, D-N.H.
"We made sure to let the employees know that the job is not more important than personal safety," McGary said. "We told them to let us know what they needed to ensure their safety, but we needed to make sure that there were people there to serve our customers."
McGary said that Lebanon was spared the worst of what Sandy had to offer and that he was grateful the hurricane impacted the city less severely than Hurricane Irene.
On campus, the hurricane forced the cancellation and postponement of a number of rehearsals and performances, according to Hopkins Center for the Arts publicity coordinator Rebecca Bailey. The World Music Percussion Ensemble's scheduled Wednesday performance and the opening night of Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Angels in America" were both affected.
"There was lots of uncertainty about what the storm would mean for the area and a general uncertainty about how much power we would have," Bailey said.
"Angels in America" is a highly technical production and every rehearsal is critical, Bailey said. Since the cast was unable to complete a technical rehearsal on Monday, they decided to postpone opening night until Saturday.
"People who have tickets received an email about options for exchanging, donating, getting account credit or getting a refund," Bailey said. "The Friday night performance will be an invited final dress rehearsal, but might be stopped at the discretion of the director."
Dartmouth students' families living in New York City and on Long Island were heavily affected by the storm. As power lines have fallen in many areas, communication with loved ones has proven a concern for many students.
Alison Frankel '85, mother of Anna Fagin '13 and Lily Fagin '16, said that most of her hometown is out of power, as is 90 percent of Long Island. Many residents have lost electricity and Internet and have minimal cellular service.
"Most people didn't work today and probably won't be able to work tomorrow because you can't get to the city," Frankel said. "We're pretty isolated in here."
Frankel said that two Dunkin' Donuts were "miraculously" spared and that both had lines that extended beyond the door, creating a half-hour wait to acquire a cup of coffee.
"It's really kind of nutty since the entire island is without power," Frankel said. "Street crews are out picking up branches, but there's not much sign of the power crews to restore power. We're lucky enough to have one friend with power, so we went to our friend's house and charged up all our stuff."
Many Long Island residents have resorted to driving aimlessly in order to charge their phones with car chargers, according to Frankel. Her family spent the evening in candlelight, which Frankel characterized as "a fun novelty" likely to quickly wear off.
Meghan Hassett '15 said that although her immediate family was not affected, many of her family members and friends from Long Beach, N.Y., are using her home as a refugee facility. Many Long Island residents refused to evacuate despite warnings, and Hassett said that a number of her friends' houses were flooded.
"It's just kind of mind-boggling to comprehend the amount of damage," Hassett said. "We've had hurricanes but never to this extent. The island flooded from bay side and ocean side and the waters met in the middle of the island, so right now there is two feet of water sitting in my aunt's house."
Hassett said she grew up in Long Beach and considers it her home, so it is difficult to see the boardwalk and playgrounds of her hometown destroyed.
"It's just a mess," she said. "They have shelters set up in high schools and community colleges because everyone is uprooted. There is nothing you can really do about the flooding when there's an ocean in your house."
Colby Ye contributed reporting to this article.
