New York City Colleges To Remain Closed Wednesday Due To Hurricane Sandy, Cancelations Could Last Longer

Colleges in New York City reeling from Hurricane Sandy's damage are canceling classes for a third day, and some warn they may stay closed through the end of the week.

NYU Local reports the university has canceled all classes and activities for Wednesday and could call off classes through Friday, since many of the schools' properties in Lower Manhattan do not have power.

"Because of how crucial [Con Edison power] is to our facilities, we are in touch with them to determine whether we will restore classes and activities on Thursday and Friday," Jules Martin, VP for Global Security and Crisis Management, said in a statement. "We will announce a decision on this later today."

As of Tuesday afternoon, Goddard and Weinstein, which run on power from NYU’s cogeneration plant, are the only NYU residence halls with full power, according to NYU Local. Others are running on limited or no power. All still have heat.

The City University of New York canceled all Wednesday classes and functions at all of its 24 institutions, DNAinfo reports. Non-essential employees are not required to report to work on Wednesday, according to a notice. Some emergency personnel will still be required to work, and campuses with shelters will remain open so long as evacuation orders are in effect for areas in New York City.

Columbia University is also canceling some classes.

Unlike colleges in small towns around the country, students at universities in New York City often do not live in campus residence halls and choose options farther from classrooms. Without power in many areas, cars or subway access, just getting to campus could prove difficult.