Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency on Friday in anticipation of Hurricane Earl's riptides, strong currents and tropical storm force winds.
However, Earl did not hit as hard as the hype did. Most students said the scattered showers did not affect their weekend plans.
"I expected more of a storm," said Laura Anne Robin, a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore. "I was able to walk in it. Nothing really happened."
CAS senior Nora Watson agreed that expectations by far surpassed the hurricane's actual scope.
"Everyone expected it to be bad, but they did name it Earl," she said, referring to the hurricane's comparatively bland name.
Some students weren't surprised by the storm's lack of impact.
College of General Studies sophomore Hannah Allen said she wasn't taken aback by the storm.
"I wasn't surprised because I read the weather reports, and they all looked over-dramatic," she said. "The media exaggerates everything."
College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Mallory Morales and Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitations Sciences sophomore Mariah Hecker said that because they are from the Boston area, they didn't expect devastating consequences from the hurricane, either.
"My roommate's from San Diego and she was freaking out, but we're all from the area so we knew it probably wouldn't be a big deal," Hecker said. "It was too built up."
However, Morales appreciated BU sending out an email warning students to protect their belongings from potential water damage.
"They know buildings aren't adequate, so it was good they sent us an email," she said.
Watson and CAS sophomore Vanessa Garcia agreed that the email was a necessary precaution.
"I'd rather they send an email than not at all," Watson said.
"It's better to be over-prepared than under-prepared, so it was nice to have a reminder to prevent water damage," added Garcia. "Like we could remove our stuff from the window sills so that they wouldn't get soaked." Despite the heat and lack of parking synonymous with Boston's college move-in week, for Boston University students it went by without a hitch, police said.
