WEST POINT, New York (Michigan News Source) – The United States Military Academy, West Point, including more than two dozen new cadets from Michigan found themselves trying to stay afloat after flash floods and storms took out roads and bridges at the campus in New York. 

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“To all of our USMA and Local Hudson Valley Teammates: As we wake up and assess the impacts of the devastating rainfall over the past 24 hours, please be patient as emergency workers both on and off West Point clear roadways and assess infrastructure, this will take time. Our teams are working together to ensure everyone’s safety,” West Point Superintendent Lieutenant General Steve Gilland said in a statement on social media. 

The school welcomed its newest class of recruits to campus ahead of July 4th as it began training ahead of the school year, and some training will be impacted according to Gilland. 

“Our New Cadets, Cadets, Cadre, and TF Fury from the 82d are safe,” Lt. Gen. Gilland said online, “We will adjust training accordingly throughout the next few days as we continue to determine impacts. We are fully aware of the difficulties Cadets are having as they travel back to West Point.” 

West Point Cadet Devan Pathak shared with Michigan News Source what the impact on the ground has looked like for the students and community who were in the field from the perspective of a squad leader running new cadets through some land navigation training before being brought back aboard Light Medium Tactical Vehicles (LMTVs). 

“It was super fun at first, looking out the vehicles, which are super high above the ground and we saw tons of run off moving extremely fast,” Pathak said to Michigan News Source. “We got off in the parking lot and were in shin high water, and walked a short distance back to the barracks. We were lucky, cause our company was already supposed to be on the way back from the field but other companies were still out in the field or living in the bays at Camp Buckner.” 

He added that the experience was unlike anything he had ever experienced. 

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“Overall, it was frighteningly beautiful seeing nature in full force drop a few months worth of rain in mere hours,” he added. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

The West Point Cadet shared that as of now some of the only things that have changed on campus so far. 

“As far as day to day operations go, our mess hall serves meals buffet style instead of family style and has a staggered set up where not all cadets eat at the same time.” he said, “With a main road being rendered obsolete, some training has been restructured and reorganized.”

On Monday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, provided an update to the storm damage outline that several counties were still in a state of emergency. 

“New York is in the middle of a dangerous 48 hours where extreme weather conditions have put much of our state at risk,” Governor Hochul said. “I have declared a State of Emergency for Orange and Ontario Counties, where flooding last night made significant damage. While the storm has already passed through the southern part of New York, conditions remain dangerous in further north where there are ongoing extreme weather conditions. I urge all New Yorkers to remain vigilant, monitor local forecasts and have an evacuation plan ready if you’re in a danger zone.”

According to the USMA, the school is making great progress with the on-going clean up efforts, but have encouraged students, staff, and faculty to avoid standing water, washed-out areas, and sinkholes in the roads. Several roads are closed as a result of the storm too.