Monday, August 22, 2011

As the excitement builds for the beginning of the fall semester, as well as the 2011-12 academic year, UNCW is also watching Hurricane Irene in the Atlantic basin. We hope that Irene will take a track that will not impact UNCW and the Wilmington area. However, we must all be prepared in the event that the university is affected. The following information will provide you with specific information about Irene and, more importantly, will help you develop a specific action plan in the event that responsive action steps become necessary.

Be Informed
Hurricane Irene is currently located in the Caribbean and is taking a forecast track that could bring it to the southeastern United States as a major hurricane by this Friday or Saturday. For updated forecast track and intensity, monitor the National Hurricane Center or local National Weather Service websites as follows: www.nhc.noaa.gov
www.erh.noaa.gov/ilm/

There are a number of models that predict the path of hurricanes. It is important to be aware not only of the center of the forecast track, but also the entire "cone of uncertainty" of probable paths the hurricane might take. The hurricane's actual track could differ significantly from the current forecast, given that we are still four to five days from its arrival and landfall in the United States. The National Hurricane Center is urging everyone from Florida to Virginia to continue monitoring the track of this storm, which UNCW will continue to do. As we get closer to the time Irene may impact our area, and IF evacuation becomes necessary, UNCW's goal is to provide our community with at least 6-8 hours of daylight driving time prior to the arrival of high winds or storm-related rains.

Have a Plan
UNCW has a well-developed All Hazards Plan, which is exercised several times a year through drills and other preparation initiatives. In addition, we participate in annual hurricane drills, and our campus has extensive experience in successfully responding to past hurricanes. In fact, UNCW is recognized as a Storm Ready University by the National Weather Service and was one of the original universities to receive the designation of Disaster Resistant University from FEMA. That designation indicates UNCW's ability to maintain an adequate level of service during an emergency and ensure the safety of a large number of students on campus during a hurricane. While we don't want to issue an order to evacuate prematurely, we also want to make sure that our students, faculty and staff have ample time if an evacuation becomes necessary. UNCW has professional staff members continually monitoring the storm, and we are in frequent communication with our partners at the National Weather Service and New Hanover County Emergency Management. The information we receive is shared with senior administrators at UNCW on an ongoing basis, so that they can make appropriate decisions for our campus community.

Take Action Now
Many UNCW faculty and staff play critical roles during hurricanes, and they already have begun reviewing action plans and making preparations for Irene. We urge each of you to think about your own personal plan and decisions you may need to make for your safety.

1. If you haven't already done so, sign up for UNCW Alert - Please register your cell phone number and secondary e-mail so that the university can communicate with you via text, voice call and email during an emergency. This information is confidential and will only be used for periodic testing and actual emergency notification.
- Log into mySeaport using your UNCW email address and password
- Click on "Register to Receive UNCW Emergency Texts" on the left-hand side
- Enter and verify your information and click "submit"

2. Have a plan - Know where you will go in the event of a campus evacuation. If home is greater than 4-6 hours away, you may want to make plans to stay with a friend or family member close to campus. Inform your family members about where you will go in the event of an evacuation. If you do not have a safe place to go, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 910.962.3119, and they will assist you in finding a safe place.

3. Be Ready - Monitor the following information sources for updates on the storm, as well as UNCW's preparatory measures.
www.uncw.edu
www.uncw.edu/emergencymanagement
www.uncw.edu/alert
www.uncw.edu/emergencyandsafety
Emergency Information Hotline: 910.962.3991 or 888.657.5751

If an evacuation order is issued for the UNCW campus, be ready to take action immediately, make sure your friends and family know where you are going, and take any contact information you may need with you. Make sure your car has at least a half tank of gas, and be prepared for a 3-5 day stay away from campus.

Our hope is that Irene and other storms safely bypass the Wilmington community, but we also must realize that living with hurricanes is part of the unique coastal environment in which we live, study and work. As such, we all need to be as prepared as possible.

For more information, contact UNCW Environmental Health & Safety at 910.962.3057.