Thursday, August 25, 2011

UNCW continues to monitor the track of Hurricane Irene, a Category 3 hurricane threatening the mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States. While one tracking model has moved Irene’s current path slightly to the west, the hurricane is still projected to pass offshore of the Wilmington area. Significant impacts to the UNCW campus are not expected. As such, classes have not been cancelled, and we do not anticipate the need for an evacuation.

However, the Wilmington area is currently under a Tropical Storm Watch. Current forecasts include strong gale force winds and two or more inches of rain beginning Friday evening and continuing through Saturday. Strong rip currents also are anticipated throughout the weekend, so persons are strongly advised to stay out of the water.

UNCW senior leadership will meet again later this afternoon to determine whether any additional decisions and/or action steps are warranted. An update will be provided to the campus community following that meeting.

For updates, monitor the UNCW homepage, the UNCW Alert website, the Emergency Information Hotline at 910.962.3991 or 888.657.5751, and local media. Students, faculty and staff are urged to develop personal hurricane plans. More information on hurricane preparation and safety is available at http://www.uncw.edu/ba/safety/hurricanes.html and http://appserv02.uncw.edu/news/artview.aspx?id=3210