Ida: CBS2 visits district in New Jersey, where some schools haven't been open in 2 years due to pandemic and storm
CRESSKILL, N.J. -- One year ago, the remnants of Hurricane Ida destroyed the middle and highs schools in Cresskill. Students have not been back since.
That, however, will change next Tuesday, the first day of the new school year.
On Monday, CBS2's Vanessa Murdock went to one of the schools, where rebuilding continues.
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Waist-deep water filled the auditorium and not a classroom was left unscathed. Ida left the building standing, but decimated the school, said Michael Burke, the superintendent of Cresskill Schools.
"This was the center location of why we could not open for a long time," Burke said.
In the boiler room, floodwater filled all four boilers half way up. Replacements now sit on much higher ground.
"These are the boilers. They're now placed up on these cement pylons," Burke said.
Outside, mighty walls wait to protect the school if water rises again. And the sound of the power washer grabs your attention. Inside, it's the drone of fans.
When asked what still has to be done before reopening, Burke said, "We're still finalizing the air. The air condition has to be connected."
In addition, microscopes need to be dusted, clocks set, and hallways cleared. Right now, workers fill them feverishly trying to get ready for the big day. Much of the school still needs a full cleaning, but many classrooms are ready and waiting for students to fill the pristine seats. Teachers, who will return later this week, need to set up their classrooms.
"I gotta go through all those boxes over there. I'm very excited to go through all of my stuff," art teacher Leigh Ann Dauble said.
Dauble, who got permission to come in early, saw her refurbished classroom for the first time.
"It's beautiful," she said. "I'm kind of excited to start fresh."
And she's excited to see her students face to face.
"The students have not been in this building on a consistent basis since March of 2020," Burke said.
First the pandemic, then Ida.
"We were remote for several months. We ended up going to St. Therese, the church in town, on a rotating basis," Burke said.
Then, the district utilized a building in Northvale, but for a reduced school day.
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On Sept. 6, everyone will be back, all day. The school's doors will open to a lot of pomp and circumstance, including a ribbon cutting and a performance by the marching band. Students that spoke to CBS2 said they're excited, if not a little apprehensive.
"It doesn't seem realistic, because we haven't been [here] for like two years," sophomore Leo Kim said.
"I feel good. I never stepped foot in the building before because I joined when it flooded," sophomore Etamar Weinstein said.
Weinstein hopes the work gets done in time.
"The air conditionings been broken for a while, so I hoped that's finished," Weinstein said.
Good thing for him the AC is a top priority. Work on the auditorium will wait.
"It's not essential that we have it for the kids to come back. We need the classroom spaces," Burke said.
To get students back where they belong and back to normal.
