The National Weather Service predicts that North Carolina may feel the effects of Hurricane Irma in the coming days. The impacts on specific areas within North Carolina, including the Triangle area, remain uncertain.
University officials are closely monitoring reports from emergency management agencies and state officials and taking precautions to keep the campus community safe and well-informed about changes in weather conditions that may impact the local area.
Ensuring Your Safety
The University does not currently expect Hurricane Irma to affect campus operations, but if conditions change, look for announcements on www.unc.edu, alertcarolina.unc.edu and through other communications including email and text messages. If you have not registered your cell phone to receive text messages about emergencies from the University, go to alertcarolina.unc.edu and click on “Register” in the banner. You can also download LiveSafe, the University’s emergency safety app. For more information, visit police.unc.edu/carolinasafe/livesafe.
Weather conditions such as this can produce dangerous situations on roadways and sidewalks, and if conditions worsen, downed powerlines and tree branches could occur. Be cautious of flooded walkways and roadways and do not approach downed powerlines. Stay away from storm drains and drainage systems: turn around, don’t drown. Also, watch for missing manhole covers or other ground-level dangers. Stay inside if these serious conditions are encountered. For additional details about being safe and secure when faced with serious storms, please visit: http://tadd.weather.gov.
The campus community is also encouraged to tell family and friends now about the American Red Cross Safe and Well List website, so they will know how to get your “safe and well” message in an emergency. In the event of an emergency, you can register on the redcross.org/safeandwell website.
In addition, everyone is urged to visit ready.gov/hurricanes or readync.org to review basic information about how to prepare for a hurricane.
For more campus safety information, visit alertcarolina.unc.edu.
In the event of an emergency on campus, please call 9-1-1. In a non-emergency, contact UNC Police at 919-962-8100.
Helping Others
As threats of Hurricane Irma dominate news feeds, we are mindful of people in Texas who continue to deal with the catastrophic flooding and other effects of last week’s Hurricane Harvey. It was just a year ago that many people in Eastern North Carolina felt the effects of Hurricane Matthew and are still recovering a year later, including many people who have not been able to return to their homes.
Our campus community is always ready to lend a helping hand. Many organizations are still looking for volunteers to help these fellow North Carolinians get back to their homes and their lives following a year of uncertainty. Please visit the Carolina Center for Public Service website to learn more about how Carolina is helping as they continue recovering from Hurricane Matthew.
You can also learn how you can contribute to disaster relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey.
Published Sept. 7, 2017