“We came as strangers but we leave as Friends”; that’s what the banner currently hanging in Clemson House says, and as Coastal Carolina students piled into the former freshman dorm, the message that greets them takes on a new meaning. 
Students from Costal Carolina University have come to Clemson to seek refuge from Hurricane Matthew, which has only recently torn through Haiti, the Bahamas, and the South Eastern United States. With over 800 deaths caused by the storm in Haiti and predictions of high storm surge flooding, these students had no option but to leave their Coastal campus housing when Governor Nikki Haley ordered an evacuation of the low country.  
The city of Charleston, though it did not receive the brunt impact of the previously Category 4 storm, still experienced downed trees, power outages, and major flooding, including a six-foot storm surge. USA Today reports that more than 800,000 homes and businesses have lost power as of Saturday. 
The National Hurricane Center issued a statement saying that Matthew’s eye is now located just off the coast of Myrtle Beach. When it was last recorded, it had winds of up to seventy-five miles per hour. 
Governor Nikki Haley warned residents of affected areas to not move back into their homes too quickly, saying that’s when the most deaths and injures occur. 
Parts of Interstate 95 remain closed as a result of flooding, and much of Charleston is still severely flooded. According to a National Weather Service that spoke to USA Today “the water level at low tide was 6 feet above normal.” 
According to the Anderson Independent Mail, there is no current determination as to when students will return to Coastal. For now, the over 50 students and staff members hosted at Clemson House are settling in while waiting to hear news of their flooded campus.