Storm Foils Returning Students

Returning Harvard students faced airline delays and cancellations yesterday, as brutal winds and torrential rains pounded Boston and much of the Northeast.

The rain and wind that turned umbrellas inside out and flooded streets and sidewalks was caused by the same cold front that brought a Thanksgiving snowfall to much of the Midwest.

Winds as high as 78 miles per hour caused delays and cancellations of flights by major airlines, and students waiting to return to school said their plans were disrupted due to flight changes.

Amelia H. Kaplan '96 said her return flight from Chicago on United Airlines was delayed by an hour and 40 minutes because of poor weather conditions in Boston.

"As we were coming down, it was total fog until we touched the ground," Kaplan said.

Undergraduate Council President Carey W. Gabey '94 said several Council members called from airports to explain their absences from last night's meeting.

Airline officials said they had canceled and delayed flights at the request of Air Traffic Control at Logan Airport.

Officials from Delta Airlines said flights on the Delta Shuttle were delayed or canceled yesterday due to inclement weather.

"Due to the weather and winds there are cancellations and lengthy delays up to four hours," one official said. "There will be no improvement until the cold front passes."

Other airlines also delayed and canceled planes, creating havoc for returning holiday travelers.

American Airlines, Continental Airlines and United Airlines all experienced flight delays of two hours or more due to the weather, though Northwest Airlines officials said they were experiencing no delays.

Those returning to school from the New York and Washington D.C. areas said they were distressed by the delays.

"On our way up [to La Guardia Airport] we had to take a different route. The normal one was flooded," said Mary J. Hahn '97.

Hahn said she was bumped to the 4 p.m. USAir shuttle because the 11 a.m. flight was canceled and other planes were delayed and overbooked.

USAir officials said the shuttles from La Guardia were on time in the afternoon but that some flights had been canceled. These cancellations were not because of the storm, officials said.

In Newark, Continental Airlines officials were advising passengers whose flights had been canceled to seek train, bus or rental car transportation. The combination of the weather and holiday crowds made confirmed seats to some New England cities unavailable until Tuesday morning, even for those who had beenconfirmed on Sunday's flights, airline officialssaid.

Students whose planes finally made it to Bostonfound themselves roughing the weather to return totheir rooms.

"It's never been this bad. To put it mildly, itsucks. And I have to go back to Garden Street,"said Eugene Chiu '97, who was lugging a suitcasethrough the flooded paths of the Yard yesterdayafternoon.

Puddles were as deep as six inches alongMassachusetts Avenue yesterday. Beneath ThayerGate was a small lake of mud. Torrents of waterinundated the catch-basins, which were incapableof handling the two inches of rainfall that hadfallen in just two hours.

Gusts of wind blew garbage bags and loose trashacross the Yard, and even the Christmas treeoutside the Inn at Harvard appeared ready totopple over.

Not everyone, however, was dismayed by thedeluge. "It's quite pleasant out here," saidCambridge resident Chris Raphael, who was walkinghis Golden Retriever along the swelling CharlesRiver.

"I'm delighted to be out," Raphael said.

Barefoot and clad in shorts and a T-shirt,Edward Y. Park '97 said he was making the most ofthe storm.

"I love rain. I wish it were raining harderright now," he said before sprinting off acrossthe Yard.

But most students just stayed in the warmcomfort of their rooms. The Yard, streetssurrounding the river houses, and the Square wereall deserted.

Large puddles created traffic confusion onMemorial Drive. Cars converged into one lane.

Students returning by car said conditions onthe highway were also poor.

James C. McPartland '96 said he spent nearlysix hours driving on slippery roads from LongIsland to Cambridge with Kenneth A. Caplan '95.

"On the highway you'd hit a puddle and feel thecar sliding around," McPartland said. "There washydroplaning everywhere."

McPartland said Caplan averaged 33 miles perhour driving from New York to New Jersey.PhotoAng ShiThe rain kept most people indoorsyesterday.

Students whose planes finally made it to Bostonfound themselves roughing the weather to return totheir rooms.

"It's never been this bad. To put it mildly, itsucks. And I have to go back to Garden Street,"said Eugene Chiu '97, who was lugging a suitcasethrough the flooded paths of the Yard yesterdayafternoon.

Puddles were as deep as six inches alongMassachusetts Avenue yesterday. Beneath ThayerGate was a small lake of mud. Torrents of waterinundated the catch-basins, which were incapableof handling the two inches of rainfall that hadfallen in just two hours.

Gusts of wind blew garbage bags and loose trashacross the Yard, and even the Christmas treeoutside the Inn at Harvard appeared ready totopple over.

Not everyone, however, was dismayed by thedeluge. "It's quite pleasant out here," saidCambridge resident Chris Raphael, who was walkinghis Golden Retriever along the swelling CharlesRiver.

"I'm delighted to be out," Raphael said.

Barefoot and clad in shorts and a T-shirt,Edward Y. Park '97 said he was making the most ofthe storm.

"I love rain. I wish it were raining harderright now," he said before sprinting off acrossthe Yard.

But most students just stayed in the warmcomfort of their rooms. The Yard, streetssurrounding the river houses, and the Square wereall deserted.

Large puddles created traffic confusion onMemorial Drive. Cars converged into one lane.

Students returning by car said conditions onthe highway were also poor.

James C. McPartland '96 said he spent nearlysix hours driving on slippery roads from LongIsland to Cambridge with Kenneth A. Caplan '95.

"On the highway you'd hit a puddle and feel thecar sliding around," McPartland said. "There washydroplaning everywhere."

McPartland said Caplan averaged 33 miles perhour driving from New York to New Jersey.PhotoAng ShiThe rain kept most people indoorsyesterday.