December 1, 2011 9:26 AM

THANK YOU AND LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT YEAR

Thank you for visiting this site, which is maintained by the Eckerd College Emergency Management Group. Throughout the tropical storm season, which officially runs from June 1 to November 30, Eckerd College maintains this tropical weather site as a service to the members of our community. We invite students, faculty, staff, trustees, and their families to use this site as a resource for planning and information. Information about storm preparations, College closure and re-opening, cancellations and rescheduling, evacuations, and other storm-related matters are posted on this site.

THANK YOU

The Emergency Management Group thanks the members of the Eckerd College community for the plans they put in place to be prepared for the 2011 Hurricane Season. As we review the 2011 hurricane season we also look ahead to enhance our plans with lessons learned to increase our resilience as we approach the 2012 hurricane season.

Here is a recap of the 2011 season with some additional observations by others about lessons learned:

19 Total Named Storms
7 became Hurricanes (half the number of hurricanes in 2010)
3 became Major Hurricanes

3rd Busiest Season on Record in terms of the number of storms

Yet, only two storms were of consequence to the United States:

Hurricane Irene
Tropical Storm Lee

Which produced a combined $8 Billion+ in damage, mostly the result of flooding.

Dozens of institutions of higher education were directly impacted, suffered damages, and closed for variable durations of time.

The primary lesson learned in 2011: Too many people focus on the winds and coastal storm surge when, in fact, INLAND FLOODING, even hundreds of miles away from the coast can cause the major disaster.

The secondary lesson: Hurricane Irene should be viewed as a wake-up call to the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions. Luckily, the storm weakened as it moved north, but it is not a question of “if” the Northeast will experience a serious storm, but “when.”

Good video summary from The Weather Channel.

PROJECTIONS FOR THE WINTER AND SPRING 2012 SEASONS

Weather forecasters say Florida has two severe weather seasons: the six-month hurricane season and the six-month winter/spring season. While the official June to November hurricane season receives a great deal of attention in Florida, we need to remember that the December to May winter and spring seasons can bring turbulent weather conditions to our area as well. Current forecasts project that La Niña may influence the formation of especially violent winter and spring storms in the southeast in 2012. While they may not be called tropical storms, the winter and spring storm effects may be just as devastating resulting in localized flooding, structural damage from high winds and tornadoes, and extended power outages. Our hurricane plans and preparations put us in a strong position to weather the winter and spring turbulent storms, and the Emergency Management Group encourages all members of the Eckerd College community to extend their hurricane plans through the winter/spring storm season.

GETTING READY FOR THE 2012 SEASON

Eckerd College is reviewing the 2011 hurricane season and getting ready for the 2012 hurricane season. In Spring 2012, Eckerd College will conduct its annual college-wide business continuity test to confirm our readiness to conduct College operations at our remote back-up computing facilities when we are off campus from as far away as the other side of the world. Unit plans will be updated by June 1, 2012.

The Emergency Management Group encourages all members of the Eckerd College community to take this time to review personal plans at home. Being prepared at home contributes to the resilience of our college and our community. Please continue reading this web site for helpful guidance.

PLEASE MAKE A NOTE OF THIS TELEPHONE NUMBER AND WEB SITES

When the College is closing for a storm and announcing its process for reopening after the storm, an email will be sent to the members of the community. When a severe storm threatens Eckerd College AND while the College is closed, the College Web site and voicemail system will post updates. Please keep the following information handy. The telephone number and the Web sites will be maintained at remote locations when we have evacuated campus so that voicemail and Web messages can be updated under severe weather conditions and through power outages.

Eckerd College's toll-free number: 1-800-456-9009
Eckerd College Web site: www.eckerd.edu
Eckerd College Emergency Web site if long-term power outages affect the Tampa Bay region: ecemergency.com

PLEASE REVIEW CHANGES THAT TOOK PLACE IN THE 2010 HURRICANE SEASON

We entered the 2010 hurricane season with some noteworthy changes and it is important to review them here:

1. Evacuation levels changed for many of our homes and businesses. To confirm your evacuation level, visit Know Your Zone or call (727) 453-3150. If you need to evacuate, the Pinellas County web site will also show a listing of the nearest hurricane shelters, special needs shelters, and accommodations out of your evacuation zone.

2. Hurricane forecasts will contain two important pieces of information for individuals living along our coastlines: (1) wind speed (maximum sustained winds) according to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, and (2) projected storm surge.

3. Tropical storm watches and hurricane watches will be issued when tropical storm conditions and hurricane conditions are possible along the coast within 48 hours. Tropical storm warnings and hurricane warnings will be issued when those conditions are expected within 36 hours. Forecasters have extended the watch and warning periods by 12 hours because they have increased confidence in their ability to project the path of the eye of the storm, especially as it is represented by the 72-hour cone.

A GOOD TIME TO REVIEW AND UPDATE YOUR PLANS

Now is a good time for members of the Eckerd College community to review their hurricane plans with their families. To review the elements of good plans, please visit the links to guidance provided for the 2011 hurricane season below.

GUIDANCE FOR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES

The Hurricane Guide for Students can be downloaded from the link in this this web site; it contains useful guidance for all members of the Eckerd College community.

Residence life and student life staff are always available to assist families with their plans. Contact information is provided below.

Students and their families should use this time now to explore ideas about where students will go if an evacuation order is issued. Pinellas County Emergency Management advises residents to consider public shelters as a last resort; residents are encouraged to make their own plans for safe lodging at reinforced homes of friends and relatives or newer hotels in county or to have laid in place plans to evacuate the county in a timely way.

Students may want to include in their plans locations within driving distance of Pinellas County as well as plane travel to their homes that are further away. To help families budget their students' travels, we encourage families to consider purchasing advance refundable plane tickets that may be used during hurricane season, if needed, and then for travel during holidays otherwise. Students also may wish to budget to share car expenses when driving to places out of Pinellas County and hotel expenses for lodging in and out of Pinellas County.

Students who live off campus should know their evacuation zone. They should develop plans in the event Pinellas County orders an evacuation of their area. We encourage students to have plans to find lodging in structures reinforced for hurricane conditions within the County, if the students choose to stay in Pinellas County, and in locations outside Pinellas County.

Student Affairs will provide assistance to students and families who would like to discuss evacuation options. Students who need assistance should call Student Affairs at 727.864.8421 or send an email to tropicalassistance@eckerd.edu

GUIDANCE FOR FACULTY, STAFF AND OFF-CAMPUS STUDENTS

Now also is a good time for our faculty, staff and off-campus students to ready their homes for the 2012 hurricane season. Please complete a home inventory with photographs or videotapes, collect together in a safe place important documents, inventory and replenish hurricane supplies, and update your plans for evacuation routes and lodging in and out of the county. Business continuity at the College depends on our faculty, staff and students taking care of themselves and their families at home first.

HELPFUL GUIDES TO PREPARE FOR THE HURRICANE SEASON

The St. Petersburg Times 2011 hurricane guide provides helpful guidance for residents who plan to stay in Pinellas County and for those who will evacuate their homes. Pinellas County Emergency Management's hurricane guide, Surviving the Storm, is also helpful especially for its listing of evacuation shelters and non-evacuation zone hotels and motels.

LINKS TO THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER (NHC) WEB SITE

This is also a good time to become familiar with the features of the National Hurricane Center web site. Please visit our link to the National Hurricane Center at the NOAA weather site.

HOW TO READ THE NHC WEB SITE

At the NHC site, the EMG finds it helpful to read postings after 5:00 am/pm and 11:00 am/pm, when NHC forecasters provide full discussions and advisories based on their most recent data and their latest model runs; and after 8:00 am/pm and 2:00 am/pm when NHC forecasters provide the latest information regarding the storm's location. We focus on these aspects of the NHC web site:

1. Forecast Discussion, which lets one know when hurricane hunters collect data, the data NHC meteorologists are analyzing, what the models are forecasting, and what the NHC meteorologists are projecting.

2. Public Advisory, which provides helpful information about the location of the storm system, direction the storm system is moving, the speed the storm is moving, current maximum sustained wind speeds and gusts, the central pressure of the storm (as the central pressure decreases the storm strengthens), and size of the storm system (how far out from the center of the system tropical storm force and hurricane force winds extend), the effect of the storm on tides, and estimated rainfall.

3. Maps/Charts, which illustrate NHC projections 72-hours and 120-hours out from the storm system's current position regarding tracks of the center/eye of the storm (any area inside the cone may be crossed by the center/eye of the storm, which means everyone located in an area inside the cone should be on alert), the consensus track of the center/eye of the storm (the black line), and 120-hour cones of wind speed probabilities.

4. National Weather Service (NWS) Local Statements, which is a new feature from the 2009 hurricane season. These local statements are focused forecasts for specific geographic regions.

FOR WEATHER BUFFS: WUNDERGROUND.COM

A favorite weather forecasting site for many Floridians is Weather Underground, www.wunderground.com. Meteorologist Dr. Jeff Masters writes the tropical storm/hurricane blog, which is educational for those who would like to better understand the science associated with a tropical storm or hurricane forecasting.

Following the active 2004-05 hurricane season, in a series of educational sessions, the Emergency Management Group invited meteorologists from the National Weather Service-Ruskin (Tampa Bay); the Director of the National Hurricane Center; and Dr. Masters, a meteorologist who has experience as a hurricane hunter. They gave excellent seminars to the Emergency Management Group; faculty, staff and student leadership; and the broader community. We are grateful to the NWS, NHC and Weather Underground for what we learned in all our sessions.

We continue to improve our understanding about tropical storm and hurricane forecasts through the NHC and NWS forecasts and through blogs Dr. Masters offers freely at Weather Underground, too.

FAQs on HURRICANES

As a service to the Eckerd College community, the Emergency Management Group has launched a Tropical Weather Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) site on this Tropical Weather Update site. Look for the link at the top of the right frame of this site. The Emergency Management Group wishes to acknowledge the valuable contributions by former residential students and now alumni David Nagle and Steven Cooper in the development of the FAQ Sheet. We welcome your additional questions as a valuable resource for providing updates to the FAQ. Please email them to metsla@eckerd.edu.

IN THE MEANTIME: BE PREPARED

The Emergency Management Group wants to remind you that the time to prepare for a storm is before it arrives. Remember: Tropical storms and severe winter storms in Florida may cause flooding in low lying areas and unpredictable power outages in any neighborhood in Pinellas County and the Tampa Bay area. ATMs do not work and gas stations and stores are closed when power is out; not all area gas stations and grocery stores have back-up generators. We take tropical storms as seriously as hurricanes. While the weather is calm, you may want to do the following:

- obtain emergency cash and keep it secure
- keep your gas tank full
- fill your prescriptions and monitor their supply
- freeze ice if you will need it immediately following a storm
- stock water (at least a gallon a day per person) and non-perishable nutritious and snack food items to last 7-14 days (include a manual can opener, paper plates, cups, and plastic utensils)
- buy batteries, flashlights, portable radios, portable chargers and chargers that can be used in your cars for your cell phone and other electronics, and other storm supplies
- set aside 7-14 days of clothing, lots of socks, and sturdy shoes
- pack a personal hygiene kit and medical emergency kit with at least 7-14 days of supplies; include bug repellent and sunscreen
- collect valuable papers, i.e., home and vehicle insurance documents, passports, medical insurance cards, most recent bank statements, and vehicle titles and secure them in waterproof plastic bags or containers
- prepare a communications plan with someone out of state who can share your information with other family members and friends; after a storm it may be easier to place a long distance call than a local one
- know where you will go should Pinellas County officials order an evacuation
- if you are planning to go to a shelter, set aside bedding, a pillow, mattress or cot, and a lounge chair for your comfort
- make plans for your pets
- students and faculty should always be prepared to take their class syllabi, class rosters, and materials for the semester when the College evacuates; faculty will continue teaching through directed studies and the internet if the College needs to remain closed for an extended period
- administrative staff should always be prepared to perform their functions remotely

Additional advice and more information can be found at our links to Pinellas County Emergency Management and the St. Petersburg Times.

THE ECKERD COLLEGE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT GROUP

This year again the Emergency Management Group, the Response Team, Damage Assessment and Recovery Team, and Business Continuity Team will be working together to support the College's efforts to promote safety first, to protect the College's assets, to facilitate recovery efforts, and to keep administrative functions and the academic program in operation following severe storms. You, too, can help by following your unit plans and checklists and following instructions when they are issued. Each and every one of us will be asked to participate in efforts to promote the safety and welfare of our classmates, colleagues and College and the continuity of College operations, and we are grateful for your assistance and support.

Thank you for visiting this site and staying tuned.

Lisa A. Mets, Ph.D.
Vice President and Secretary of the College
Chair, Emergency Management Group, 2011-12
metsla@eckerd.edu