Set for the worst
Resident at elite college dorm dies
Pandemic panic has many New Yorkers stockpiling essentials for the first time ever — but for a small group of the ultra-prepared, the coronavirus shut down is what they’ve been waiting for.
While some see COVID-19 is a sign from God and others view it as a manmade disaster, these “preppers” are confident they can ride out the worst to come of the city’s emergency coronavirus shutdown.
“This is not a surprise for us,” said 44-year-old Lisandry, a mother from the Bronx who wanted her last name withheld for the safety of her family.
The mother of five started collecting food, water, and other disaster-related necessities in 2014, when she became a born-again Christian.
“That’s one thing that all Christians learn in the process of becoming spiritually prepared— that we also have to become physically prepared because we are living in the end times. Christians say that we are the last generation,” Lisandry explained.
Now, Lisandry estimates that she has over $10,000 worth of supplies in her inventory, including nine egglaying chickens.
“I have purchased food that, if you don’t open the cans, it will last you for 25 years,” she said. Other musthaves include plenty of rice and beans, a 12-person tent, a solar grill, and enough of the now-impossible-to-get N-95 masks to protect her whole family.
“In the beginning my husband was like what are you doing? And now he agrees on whatever needs to be done,” she said. “A lot of people were laughing at me, family friends and coworkers. And now, they’re like you were right.”
Harlem-based prepper Jason Charles is also ready for the impending calamity, with more than three months’ worth of food for
A resident living at a Manhattan dorm that houses students from elite colleges and music programs has died of coronavirus, the Daily News has learned.
An email was sent out late Saturday to residents and staff of the International House dorms on Riverside Drive near W. 123rd St. in Morningside Heights, notifying them of the death.
“It is with tremendous sadness that I write to inform you that an I-House resident has passed away from complications from the COVID-19 virus,” said the email, which did not identify the victim.
“We are sharing this heartbreaking news, which we just learned a few hours ago, because of the need to get this information to our community immediately during this extremely difficult time. At a later date, we will appropriately mourn this loss and honor this member of our community.”
The resident who died was a student or recent graduate, according to a source.
The dorms, built in 1924, house students from elite institutions like Columbia, Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music and are home to more than 700 residents from over 100 countries, according to its website.
“I can only imagine the concern that all students are feeling right now,” said Ronen Segev, a Juilliard alumni and president of Park Avenue Pianos, who originally posted the email on his website. “It’s a very tight community, and international students feel particularly vulnerable given that they have few places to turn to for housing.”
Residents from the south building were told last week to vacate the dorms by this coming Friday after a staff member contracted the virus. The north building remains almost completely full, according to the building’s website.
“It’s so frustrating to have to suddenly move,” Eugene McKee, 28, a visual neuroscience researcher at Columbia from Austin, Texas, told the Daily News Friday. “Many students’ parents live in other countries and borders are closed.”