June 29, 2009 4:52 AM
A GOOD TIME TO COMPLETE YOUR PLANS FOR THE SEASON
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.
A GOOD TIME TO COMPLETE PLANS
Now is a good time to complete your plans for the 2009 hurricane season. This website provides information and guidance and useful links and contact information. The Hurricane Guide for Students can be downloaded from the link in the right frame of this web site; it contains useful guidance for all members of the Eckerd College community.
Now also is a good time for our faculty, staff and off-campus students to ready their homes for the 2009 hurricane season. Please complete a home inventory with photographs or videotapes, collect together in a safe place important documents, 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.
MONITORING THE WEATHER
One of the most important ways you can be prepared during hurricane season is to stay tuned to weather conditions.
LINKS TO THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER (NHC) WEB SITE
Please visit our link to the National Hurricane Center at the NOAA weather site for information about any tropical activity in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Eastern Pacific.
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.
MONITORING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE (NWS) FORECASTS FOR LOCAL CONDITIONS
Tropical storms and hurricanes may have effects on our local weather conditions even though the eyes of the storms may be far from our area. For the Hazardous Weather Outlook for our area, please visit our link to Local National Weather Service. In addition to local weather conditions, warnings about hazardous surf conditions and rip tides, marine warnings, tornado watches and warnings, and coastal flooding are posted. You can also use this link to track weather conditions anywhere in the country.
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.
Three years ago, 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.
STUDENTS: PLEASE REVIEW YOUR HURRICANE PLANS
This is a good time for students and their families to review their personal hurricane plans. 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
HELPFUL GUIDES TO PREPARE FOR THE HURRICANE SEASON
The St. Petersburg Times 2009 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.
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
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 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. During the 2009 hurricane season 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
Additional advice and more information can be found at our links to Pinellas County Emergency Management and the St. Petersburg Times.
Remember: One of the most important ways you can be prepared during hurricane season is to stay tuned to weather conditions, too. Please visit our link to the National Hurricane Center at the NOAA weather site.
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.
Executive Assistant to the President
Chair, Emergency Management Group, 2009
metsla@eckerd.edu
