Hurricane Sandy updates
The following are Hurricane Sandy updates from the William & Mary Emergency Management Team.- Ed.
4:50 p.m., Oct. 29, 2012
Dear William & Mary community,
Based on current information about conditions in Williamsburg, the College will operate on its regular schedule tomorrow (Tuesday). If conditions deteriorate over the course of the night and it is not feasible to open, we will contact faculty, staff and students via the College’s emergency notification system.
Students who left campus should use their best judgment about whether to return. Staff do not need prior approval to take leave on Tuesday.
We understand that other areas are dealing with more severe effects from the storm. Many of you have families and friends in those places. Our thoughts are with you.
Stay safe.
Anna B. Martin,
9:50 a.m., Oct. 29, 2012
Dear William & Mary community,
The Emergency Management Team continues to meet regularly and monitor the storm’s progress. The forecast has changed slightly. The most severe weather is now expected to begin late this afternoon and continue overnight. In addition to heavy rain, we expect to see sustained winds of 20-25 mph with wind gusts peaking tonight at about 60 mph.
The campus remains in good shape. As of this message, we have no reported power outages or flooding issues. We continue to manage our response to the storm and have facilities management crews on duty.
Please review the following information.
Classes and Activities
Monday: The Provost cancelled Monday’s classes. All scheduled activities on campus are cancelled. Administrative offices are closed. All essential personnel should report.
Tuesday: No decision has been made regarding Tuesday classes or campus activities. This decision will be made this afternoon and communicated through the mass notification system.
Residence halls
Residence halls remain open. If we lose power, temporary emergency lighting will be available. Candles are not permitted. Students should follow instructions from their RAs. Duty offices in residence halls will be connected via radio. Please make sure to charge your cell phones and mobile devices now. In the event of a power outage, we have made arrangements to provide additional security staffing.
Dining options
Dining services have been consolidated to the Commons Dining Hall (Caf) and the Sadler Center. Hours of operation for Monday are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Student Exchange (C Store) remains open until 8 p.m. today.
In the event of a power outage, all dining services will be consolidated to the Commons Dining Hall. If this happens, we will provide students with additional information regarding meal cycles.
Transportation
The Green Line bus has resumed service. It will remain in service until wind speeds reach 40 mph. Transportation updates are available at http://www.wm.edu/offices/auxiliary/parkingandtransportation/transportation/index.php.
Other campus services
Student Recreation Center: The recreation center is open Monday from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m..
Swem Library: The library is open Monday from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. If the building loses power, the library will be closed.
Charging stations: If the campus loses power, we have made arrangements to have charging stations for students to charge cell phones, tablets and laptops at the Student Recreation Center and the Commons Dining Hall.
The EMT will continue to assess the impact of the storm. We will provide an update late this afternoon with regard to tomorrow's schedule.
Faculty, staff and students should continue to check the College’s website, email and the local media for updates as well as the W&M News Twitter page at www.twitter.com/WMNews and Facebook page at www.facebook.com/wmnews.
Stay safe.
Anna B. Martin
Chair, Emergency Management Team
1:30 p.m., Oct. 28, 2012
Dear William & Mary community,
The Emergency Management Team continues to meet regularly and monitor the storm’s progress. At this point, the most severe weather is expected to begin this afternoon with rain and wind intensifying during the evening hours. We expect heavy rain and sustained winds between 20-40 mph over the next 24 hours. Gusts could reach 60 mph.
We continue to manage our response to the storm. Please review the following information.
Classes and Activities
Sunday: All scheduled activities have been cancelled.
Monday: The Provost has cancelled Monday’s classes. All scheduled activities on campus have been cancelled. Administrative offices will be closed. All essential personnel should report.
Tuesday: No decision has been made regarding Tuesday classes or campus activities. This decision will be made Monday afternoon and communicated through the mass notification system.
Residence halls
Residence halls remain open. If we lose power, temporary emergency lighting will be available. Candles are not permitted. Students should follow instructions from their RAs. Duty offices in residence halls will be connected via radio. Please make sure to charge your cell phones and mobile devices now. In the event of a power outage, we have made arrangements to provide additional security staffing.
Dining options
Dining services have been consolidated to the Commons Dining Hall (Caf) and the Sadler Center. Hours of operation Sunday are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Monday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. In the event of a power outage, all dining services will be consolidated to the Commons Dining Hall. If this happens, we will provide students with additional information regarding meal cycles.
Transportation
In anticipation of high winds, the Green Line bus service will conclude at 8 p.m. Sunday. We will notify you when we expect that service to resume.
Other campus services
Student Recreation Center: The recreation center will be open 10 a.m. until 11 p.m. on Sunday. Monday it will be open from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m.
Swem Library: The library will be open 10 a.m. until 11 p.m. on Sunday. Monday it will be open from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. If the building loses power, the library will be closed.
Charging stations: If the campus loses power, we have made arrangements to have charging stations for students to charge cell phones, tablets and laptops at the Student Recreation Center and the Commons Dining Hall.
The EMT will continue to assess the impact of the storm and will provide additional updates as new information becomes available. Faculty, staff and students should continue to check the College’s website, email and the local media for updates as well as the W&M News Twitter page at www.twitter.com/WMNews and Facebook page at www.facebook.com/wmnews.
Stay safe.
Anna B. Martin
Chair, Emergency Management Team
2:09 p.m., Oct. 27, 2012
Dear William & Mary community,
The Emergency Management Team continues to monitor the storm closely and prepare campus. The forecast has changed since our last message. The National Weather Service is predicting as much as 6 to 8 inches of rain between Saturday and Tuesday. At its peak Sunday night, we expect sustained winds of 35 mph and gusts of 55 mph. The storm is expected to linger for several days and it is likely that we will lose power at some point during the storm. We have made several decisions regarding classes and activities. Please review the following information:
Homecoming
The Saturday night Alumni Association party has been moved from the Sunken Garden to Trinkle Hall. Please continue to call the Alumni Association’s weather line at 757-221-1184 and check http://www.wmalumni.com periodically for scheduling updates.
Classes and Activities
Sunday: All scheduled activities on campus after 12 p.m. (noon) have been cancelled.
Monday: The Provost has cancelled Monday’s classes. All scheduled activities on campus have been cancelled. Administrative offices will be closed. All essential personnel should report.
Tuesday: We have not made decisions regarding Tuesday classes or campus activities. Once a decision is made, we will communicate through the emergency notification system.
Preparations and Power Outage
During the peak of the storm, use caution if you must leave your residence hall or must move across campus. We anticipate the potential loss of power and are preparing accordingly to ensure the safety of our campus community.
- Residence halls: Residence halls will remain open. There will be minimal emergency lighting in the residence halls for about 90 minutes following a power outage. Candles are not permitted. Please follow direction from your RAs, who will have flashlights. Duty offices in residence halls will be connected via radio. Please make sure to charge your cell phones and mobile devices now.
- Dining options: Beginning Sunday, dining services will be consolidated to the Commons Dining Hall (Caf) and the Sadler Center. Hours of operation Sunday are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Monday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. In the event of a power outage, all dining services will be consolidated to the Commons Dining Hall.
- Student Recreation Center: The recreation center will be open 10 a.m. until 11 p.m. on Sunday. Monday it will be open from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m.
- Swem Library: The library will be open 10 a.m. until 11 p.m. on Sunday. Monday it will be open from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m.
- Charging stations: If the campus loses power, we have made arrangements to have charging stations for students to charge cell phones, tablets and laptops at the Student Recreation Center and the Commons Dining Hall.
- Faculty and staff: If the campus loses power, administrative and academic buildings will be closed. Please do not come to campus unless you are essential personnel.
We will continue to update the campus community as new information becomes available.
Stay safe.
Anna
B. Martin
Chair, Emergency Management Team
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1:32 p.m., Oct. 26., 2012
Dear William & Mary community,
The Emergency Management Team continues to monitor the storm closely and prepare campus. While the storm is expected to make landfall further north, the impact to this region is anticipated to be much like a nor’easter that will bring significant weather starting this weekend. This includes significant rain and wind that will linger in this area for several days. There is a chance we could see the loss of electrical power at some point during the storm.
Weather Forecast:
At this point, the National Weather Service is predicting as much as 5 to 7 inches of rain between Saturday and Tuesday. This should begin as light rain Saturday morning with heavy rain beginning in mid-afternoon. As a nor’easter, the storm will move slowly up the East Coast and continue to bring heavy rain and sustained winds through Monday or Tuesday. We can expect the wind to increase steadily on Saturday with the highest winds anticipated to begin that night about 11 p.m. For this area, the National Weather Service is calling for sustained high winds of between 20-40 mph at the storm’s peak and gusts of 50-60 mph.
Homecoming:
All Homecoming events today are still on schedule. Decisions regarding Saturday’s events have not been made but we do anticipate some changes will be necessary due to the storm. Please continue to call the Alumni Association’s weather line at 757-221-1184 and check http://www.wmalumni.com periodically for scheduling updates as weather conditions change.
Preparations:
As I mentioned, we are taking a number of actions to make sure the campus is secure and ready for the storm. You can also help. We recommend that faculty and staff with offices on the third floors and basements take precautions (computers and other electrical equipment turned off; plastic sheet or trash bags over computers; electronic equipment not left on floors in basements). Everyone should be aware that there is the possibility of campus wide power outages and should exercise due diligence in protecting research or other important data. Remember to charge cell phones and other mobile devices.
At this time, we do not anticipate canceling classes or events on Monday or the need to evacuate campus. The decisions may change as conditions warrant. This information is truly precautionary at this point. The path and strength of the storm could change over the next several days. Please be prepared.
We will continue to update the campus community as new information becomes available. Stay safe.
Anna Martin
Chair, Emergency Management Team---------------------------------------------
Oct. 25, 2012
Good evening,
The Emergency Management Team is monitoring the progress of Hurricane Sandy as it begins its move up the east coast. At this point, the information we have in hand predicts heavy rain and wind for our area beginning late Saturday evening. The College’s grounds crews have begun preparing the campus for the storm. We will provide updates on the storm’s progress as it becomes available.
Be safe,
Anna B. Martin
Chair, Emergency Management Team