Snow? No.

This semester’s first storm was not a blizzard – it was a rainstorm, more befitting August than January.

Monday night’s storm, which turned roads into ponds and darkened much of Isabella County, left a black mark in its wake the next morning that affected 19,876 students and thousands of staff and faculty.

By Tuesday morning, power was restored around most of Isabella County, but Central Michigan University’s campus remained without power until about 6:20 p.m. – a total of nearly 21 dark hours.

“It was cool for about 10 minutes, but then it got really annoying,” said Sam Russell, a Grandville freshman and Saxe resident.

Russell, who had an 8 a.m. class Tuesday, said he was pleased classes were canceled. However, there was little to do otherwise, he said.

His Tuesday routine included, as primary activities, eating and sleeping, he said.

White Lake senior and Saxe resident David Youngquist said he was frustrated with the blackout.

“Basically, I’ve been wandering aimlessly around campus,” he said.

Northville sophomore Hollee DiRocco, also a Saxe resident, said Tuesday she and her friends hung out until 3 a.m., awakening to canceled classes and no electricity.

Tuesday was spent driving around figuring out what locations had power, talking and otherwise trying to pass the time however possible, she said.

Though she was pleased to not have classes, the outage still was frustrating, as it eliminated most things to do around campus, she said.

DiRocco, who was scouring campus for a working outlet to charge her phone, said the outage carried significant inconveniences.

“You have to shower with the flashlight in the bathroom,” she said.

Thunder! Lightning! Darkness.

Lightning struck a transformer on Summerton Road during the Monday night thunderstorms, causing the power outage on campus, which began around 9:15 p.m.

Mary Gust, a spokesperson for Consumer’s Energy, said the lightning strike took place at 8:37 p.m.

Gust said 10,800 customers were affected in Isabella County.

“The problem with the transformer is much worse than originally thought,” Director of Media Relations Steve Smith said Tuesday afternoon.

All classes, buildings and events were canceled for the day while the university and Consumers Energy worked to restore power.

What’s going on?

How do we eat?

While CMU’s on-campus power supply was unavailable Tuesday afternoon, students’ appetites were out in full-force.

The Fresh Food Company at the Woldt dining commons opened its doors at about noon Tuesday to anyone who had a student I.D., and several people took advantage of the offer.

Restaurant staff employee Sheila Davis estimated 1,600 students stopped by between noon and 1 p.m.

“I see a lot of happy students,” she said. “Otherwise, where would they go?”

Sterling Heights freshman Fred Bartolomei was among the appreciative attendees.

“They’ve been accommodating,” he said. “It’d be nice to have power, but you can’t expect for it to happen this quick.”

Bartolomei said he was informed of the food by his Thorpe Hall resident assistant and by signs posted around campus.

The staff was serving fruit, deli items and a dessert bar, among other things. Bottled beverages also were made available.

Marine City freshman Sarah Hauke, who indulged in a turkey sandwich, said her roommate informed her of the opening. She said she usually eats at Robinson Residential Restaurant, but that she didn’t mind the walk.

“I think they’re doing the best they can with what they have available,” Hauke said.

Grand Rapids sophomore Brianna Aardema said she thought the university could have made things easier by serving food at more locations. However, she said CMU was doing a good job, considering the circumstances.

“I don’t think they really expected something this big,” said Aardema, who usually dines at the RFoC.

Davis said the adverse situation made things more difficult for the employees, but that it was part of the job.

“The staff is handling this very well,” she said. “We always go above and beyond.”

Weathering the storm

As Monday night’s deluge flooded the streets, students flooded the hallways of their residence halls devoid of electricity, gathering around flashlights, emergency lights and board games.

Nicole Bouman, Big Rapids senior and Cobb hall first-floor resident assistant, joined her fellow residents for games of “Catch Phrase,” among other activities, all lit by flashlight.

“It saves me planning a program,” Bouman said. “I can’t get this good of a turnout at a program, but you turn off the lights, and they’re all there.”

Bouman said a similar blackout in August, when she was working with Leadership Safari, prepared her for this one – even though she never would have expected it to strike in January.

Cobb Residence Hall Director Mike Skonieczny and other RHDs made sure all bases were covered Monday night, and encouraged students to make the best of the outage.

“We have great staff who do really well at responding to emergencies,” he said.

Sparta junior Kyle Hulett was in the middle of a homework assignment when the power went out. Rather than continuing his work, he decided to try something a bit more exotic.

Hulett and Howard City junior Brandon Briggs played a game of ping-pong in the Trout Hall lobby, using a camping light to see.

“You have no depth perception,” Hulett said. “And it’s my first time playing, too.”

However, not all students were at ease.

Roseville junior Jasmine Yancey, a University Meadows resident, said she felt left in the dark – both literally and figuratively.

She said she was dissatisfied with University Meadows’ lack of a generator and with both the complex’s and Consumers Energy’s lack of communication.

“We just pretty much sit around and hope power is up by morning,” she said. “I feel very, very unsafe here.”

Police said no known crimes were reported during the blackouts. Night Rides were out for an extra hour, patrolling when no passengers were present. An extra dispatcher for CMU police also worked for an hour.

Timline of Events:

Monday evening a heavy storm roared through the Mount Pleasant area. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning about 9 p.m. Below are the events that transpired afterward.

8:37 p.m. Monday: Lightning strikes a substation on Summerton Road, causes a fire

9:15 p.m. Monday: Power outage on campus begins

11:30 p.m. Monday: University officials convene to decide whether to cancel classes

6:25 a.m. Tuesday: Dean of Students Bruce Roscoe sends CMU community an e-mail of decision to close campus until noon Tuesday.

10 a.m. Tuesday: University officials decide to cancel classes for remainder of day

6:20 p.m. Tuesday: Power is restored to campus

By the Numbers:

10,800

Number of Consumer’s Energy customers in Isabella County affected by the storm.

6:20

About the time power was restored on campus Tuesday.

21

About how many hours CMU’s campus was without power Monday and Tuesday.

1

Number of hours Night Rides extended its service on dispatch during campus blackout.

1,600

Students eating from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Fresh Food Company.

19,876

Number of students on campus at Central Michigan University during ‘Blackout 2008.’

Senior Reporter David Veselenak contributed to this article.

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