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Edgecome Community College student shares her Hurricane Matthew story

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“Edgecombe Community College is so ingrained in the fabric of this community that when an event impacts the county, it impacts the community college as well,” says ECC President Dr. Deborah Lamm. That includes the students.

In an email to EdNC, Mary Tom Bass, the director of public information for the community college, described the impact of the hurricane:

“Hurricane Matthew hit on Saturday, October 8. Fall Break for students was the following Monday and Tuesday, so classes were already called off. Classes were canceled Wednesday through Friday.

Approximately 600 students, identified by address and zip code, live in the areas impacted by flooding. Of these, 258 did not return to campus when the college re-opened on Monday, October 17.

ECC established a Student Recovery Team to identify impacted students and to attempt to find those who did not return to class following the flood. Faculty and staff made numerous efforts to contact these students.

The college held a drive for food and supplies and created the Matthew Fund for accepting monetary gifts for students. To date, about 50 students have asked the college for help replacing their water-logged textbooks, restoring Internet access to continue their online and hybrid course work, and meeting their transportation needs to get to campus.

Most likely, it will be months before the college knows the true impact of Hurricane Matthew.”

Below, Ronda King — a mother, a student at Edgecombe Community College, and a Nashville resident who was displaced from her home for over a month — talks about how her school helped her get back on her feet and kept her from dropping out.

Video Courtesy: Edgecombe Community College