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| Emergency Management UPDATES ON TROPICAL STORM ISAAC AUGUST 27, 2012 - 12:15 PM All Tropical Storm Warnings for the west coast of Florida, excluding the Panhandle, have been lifted. Normal business operations and classes at New College will resume as scheduled on Tuesday, August 28. Employees are reminded to please report to work at your regularly scheduled time on Tuesday. Students, faculty and staff who left the area because of Tropical Storm Isaac are reminded to please not travel back to campus until conditions in your area make it safe to do so. If you will be unable to return to Sarasota in time for classes or regularly scheduled work on Tuesday, please contact your faculty or work adviser as soon as you are able to do so. While the worst of the weather from Tropical Storm Isaac is now past, wind gusts and rain showers, heavy at times, are likely to continue throughout the day today. Students and others are reminded to exercise caution while making their way around campus and to please concentrate activities on the Pei Campus, as the bay front area is still experiencing high tides and strong waves. Unless warranted, no additional announcements are scheduled at this time. ........................................................................... AUGUST 26, 2012 - 5:15 PM Following the 5 pm advisory from the National Hurricane Service, there are no significant changes to report regarding Tropical Storm Isaac and its likely impact on the New College campus. New College of Florida remains under a Tropical Storm Warning and all business operations and classes have been canceled for Monday. Please see the 11 am advisory below for detailed information on safety recommendations while the College is closed. Unless otherwise warranted, the next scheduled update to the campus community will occur at 12:30 PM on Monday, August 27. For the latest on the forecast track and speeds of Tropical Storm Isaac, visit the National Hurricane Center. ........................................................................... AUGUST 26, 2012 - 11 AM Although the campus is scheduled to re-open on Tuesday, students, faculty and staff who left the area because of the storm are reminded to please not travel back to school on Tuesday until conditions in their area make it safe to do so. During the campus closure, Housing and Residential Life services, including Food Service, will remain open. All students who have not already left campus are encouraged at this time to please remain on campus and to not travel. The College can accommodate all students living on campus when we're under tropical storm conditions. Ham Center will remain open on Sunday and Monday for students who wish to gather in a common space. Sudakoff Center will also be open throughout the day on Monday starting at 8 a.m. Heavy rain and tropical storm force winds from Isaac are expected to impact the campus by late afternoon Sunday and last throughout the day on Monday. Students are asked to please choose a comfortable location, bring things to occupy themselves, and stay put throughout the storm. Wandering around campus is strongly discouraged. Pei tiles are slippery when wet. Even more concerning are flying debris, possible downed electrical lines and other hazards. This is particularly true of the bay front area, which is likely to experience a storm surge on Sunday and Monday. Students should thus stay in a sheltered area in their Res Halls or on the Pei (East) side of campus. Students are encouraged to text or phone their parents frequently to let them know they are safe. Due to possible power interruptions on Sunday and Monday, please remember to keep cell phones well charged and to not waste battery time unnecessarily. Due to the strong possibility of high winds, students are asked to please clear items away from doors and windows and to bring inside any furniture or other items located on balconies or other areas outside their rooms. Administration also recommends unplugging non-essential electronic devices and moving computers and other equipment off the ground. If possible, such items should be covered with trash bags or plastic to avoid possible water damage. Finally, administration encourages all students to secure important documents, including passports, birth certificates, social security cards, banking information and other valuables in plastic bags and to place them in drawers or other safe locations off of the floor in case of possible flooding or water damage. Residential Life and Housing staff, as well as the New College Police, will be on campus throughout the storm to assist students and ensure safety. The Counseling Center will be on emergency call and be able to counsel students via phone, should they need support. Students should contact their RA to get in touch with a counselor. Unless otherwise warranted, the next scheduled update to the campus community will occur at 5:30 pm on Sunday, August 26. For the latest on the forecast track and speeds of Tropical Storm Isaac, visit the National Hurricane Center. ........................................................................... AUGUST 25, 2012 - 7 PM During the campus closure, Housing and Residential Life services, including Food Service, will remain open. However, the Office of Student Affairs is encouraging all students living in the local vicinity to go home if they want to, while the campus is closed. Students who live outside the local area are encouraged to remain on campus, as the College can accommodate all students living on campus in hurricane-safe buildings. Additional announcements will be circulated via this website, the NCF Safe system, email and the New College Emergency Hotline (941-487-4130) as necessary. For the latest on the forecast track and speeds of Tropical Storm Isaac, visit the National Hurricane Center. ........................................................................... AUGUST 24, 2012 - 3:30 PM The New College of Florida Emergency Management Team met this afternoon from 2-3 pm and determined that the College will remain open for business on Monday and all classes will be held as scheduled. As of the 2 pm advisory from the National Hurricane Center on Friday, August 24, Isaac was located approximately 160 miles SSW of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, moving WNW at 14 mph with winds of up to 60 mph. Current forecast models predict Isaac to continue a WNW track for the next 24-48 hours crossing Cuba on Saturday and Sunday and possibly entering the Gulf of Mexico off the west coast of Florida on Monday, August 27. Over the course of the last 24 hours, Isaac's track has shifted somewhat to the west and is expected to continue to do so as it approaches the Gulf of Mexico, possibly moving the storm toward the middle of the Gulf rather than the west coast of Florida. Current tracking models predict that the storm is most likely to impact our area, if at all, as a tropical storm by late afternoon or evening on Monday and possibly continuing into Tuesday. The New College Emergency Management Team will continue to monitor the storm closely over the weekend and will notify members of the New College Community via this website, email, the NCF Safe system, the New College Facebook page and our emergency telephone hotline (941-487-4130) immediately if there are any changes in conditions that are likely to impact the New College campus. Please note that the College can accommodate all students currently living on campus in hurricane-safe buildings in the event the storm was to have a greater impact on our campus than is currently anticipated by the National Hurricane Service forecast models. As with all severe weather threats, administration encourages faculty, staff and students living off campus to familiarize themselves with emergency preparation procedures and to identify the shelter nearest to them in the event they should need to evacuate their homes. This information for both Manatee and Sarasota Counties can be found by following the links at the bottom of this webpage. Despite the fact that little storm activity is anticipated over the weekend, all faculty and staff are encouraged to please unplug all computers, printers and other large electronic equipment from electrical outlets before leaving work for the weekend. Finally, all students, faculty and staff are encouraged to please visit the NCF Safe emergency notification website to make sure your telephone numbers, email addresses and text message numbers are listed correctly. NCF Safe can be linked to through the College's website at http://www.ncf.edu/ncf-safe or through NewCLEIS. Currently, the next meeting of the New College Emergency Management Team is scheduled for Monday, August 27, at 9 a.m. We will issue updates to the community at that time. As mentioned above, we will update you sooner if there are any changes in conditions to Tropical Storm Isaac that are likely to impact the New College campus before the start of business and classes on Monday. ........................................................................... AUGUST 24, 2012 - 11:30 AM The New College Emergency Management Team is scheduled to meet at 2 pm this afternoon (Friday), at which time it will be decided whether or not to cancel classes on Monday and Tuesday of next week. We will notify the campus community via this website, the NCF Safe system, by email and via our telephone hotline immediately following today’s meeting. Next scheduled update: 2:30 pm, Friday, August 24 AUGUST 23, 2012 - 5:30 PM The New College Emergency Management Team is scheduled to meet at 2 pm on Friday, at which time it will be decided whether or not to cancel classes on Monday and Tuesday of next week. We will notify the campus community via this website, the NCF Safe system, by email and via our telephone hotline immediately following tomorrow’s meeting. Next scheduled update: 11 am, Friday, August 24 For the latest on the forecast track and speeds of Tropical Storm Isaac, visit the National Hurricane Center. Emergency Hotline: x4130 (on campus), 941-487-4130 (off-campus) | ||
| Environmental Health & Safety Phone: (941) 487-4585 | ||
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New College of Florida • 5800 Bay Shore Road • Sarasota, FL 34243 • (941) 487-5000