Girard College students temporarily stranded in North Carolina due to flood-damaged roads

More than 30 students from Girard College on an Outward Bound trip in North Carolina last week became temporarily stranded due to damaged roads caused by flooding from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the college's president said Monday.

"Thirty-one of our ninth grade students, together with a teacher and two resident advisors, are temporarily unable to return from their week-long Outward Bound enrichment program due to damaged roads caused by Hurricane Helene," David Hardy, president of Girard College, said in a statement.

"All students and adults are safe and are being cared for while Outward Bound works with local and state officials to clear the roads that provide access to the camp, which is located in Asheville," Hardy said.

Hurricane Helene, which peaked at Category 4 with 140 mph winds, made landfall late Thursday in Florida's Big Bend region . The remnants of the hurricane then swept through Georgia and the Carolinas with catastrophic rainfall.

"We are in constant communication with the program, and we have been assured that our children will be transported back to Philadelphia as soon as road and weather conditions permit safe travel," Hardy said.

The Outward Bound program provides wilderness experiences to teach life lessons and skills for students from schools across the country, including many Philadelphia-area private schools, Hardy said.

A spokesperson for Outward Bound could not be reached for comment Monday night.