This post was intended to be viewed prior to the extreme weather developments in Florida; however, it contains valuable safety information. 

This was not a post I would have ever thought I would be writing, but as life is unpredictable in many ways, this has become increasingly true with the weather. Only a couple weeks back our local area was rocked by hurricane Helene, with wide scale impact and severe damage that left countless affected. A hurricane is truly a monstrous storm that leaves only tragedy in its wake. Our school did everything it could to adapt and accommodate for us to be as safe as possible with the institution of online classes and flexible exams to account for power outages and necessary travel. Now, merely weeks later, a new storm is threatening to hit our side of the coast even harder, Milton. The school has already announced its transition to an online format for the upcoming week as the safety of students and staff is the highest priority. It is now crystal clear that students, current and incoming, must be familiar with hurricanes and how they must act to ensure everyone remains safe. Although some of you may see this post after this upcoming storm, I hope it provides some sense of guidance for those who need it in the future.

The first and most important piece of information I can convey is that if there is a major hurricane predicting a path with a direct hit, evacuation is a strong option, should you have it. Flooding, storm surge and hazardous rain and wind can be life threatening! This may not always be possible, though, so instead monitoring evacuation zones imposed by the cities and stocking up on supplies may be the next best option. Always make sure you have ample water supplies, non-refrigerated food, and batteries or charged devices in case of loss of access to clean water or power. Additionally, make sure to fill up your gas tanks to account for the possibility of scarcity. It may be recommended to get sandbags or even board your windows. Finally, secure any valuable or irreplaceable objects or documents somewhere safe, potentially off the ground in case of flooding.

I know this may be scary for many of you, me included. We are all in this together and will get through these difficult times. I wish all of you the safest time during the storm and look forward to resuming classes in person next week.

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