Keeping an eye on Isaac

Letter to Parents

It appears that the threat of Tropical Storm Isaac has subsided. Please feel free to go about your daily activities as normal. Thank you for your cooperation over the last few days. Tomorrow classes will resume as scheduled.

We are expecting some gusty winds and rain over the next couple of days so be careful if you are traveling on the roads. Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow.

Southeastern has been monitoring Tropical Storm Isaac's path since Thursday, August 23. Even though current projections show that it will pass the Tampa Bay Area well out into the Gulf, heavy winds and rain will be expected on campus. It is still too early to estimate the full nature of those effects, but as a precautionary measure, in order to keep students from walking around outside or driving to the campus, Southeastern will be canceling all classes for Monday, August 27. Staff offices will also be closed with plans of reopening on Tuesday.

Southeastern has made all necessary preparations in the event that severe weather is experienced on campus. Campus food services will remain open for students this week, and Residence Life Area Coordinators will keep steady communication with resident students as the storm continues down its path. We ask that students remain indoors as much as possible and try to stay off the roads until the storm subsides.

5:45 p.m.

Based on information from current forecasts of Tropical Storm Isaac, the decision has been made to continue with classes as scheduled for next week. If things substantively change over the start of the weekend, we will notify students with any alterations of this decision. We will continue to keep you updated as Isaac continues down its path.

11:00 a.m.

As we have been tracking Tropical Storm Isaac, it appears that the storm is currently south of the Dominican Republic headed northwest toward the Gulf. Forecasts indicate that by this time tomorrow Isaac will have crossed over Haiti and will move toward Cuba through Sunday. By Monday and Tuesday, it is predicted to be west of Florida in the Gulf. Currently, Isaac is expected to miss the Tampa area as it continues down its path. We do not anticipate evacuating campus, and if things continue as they are now, we will function with minimal changes in our day-to-day schedule come next week. We are, however, making all necessary preparations and have a strategic plan in place for handling such weather systems if there are any alterations in the path and the velocity of the storm. Our facilities have been built to withstand high winds and severe weather in the event that the storm veers closer to the coast of Florida.

We anticipate by the end of today, Friday, August 24, Southeastern will announce if there will be any changes to next week's class schedule. We will continue to keep you updated throughout these coming days.

Part of going to school in Central Florida is experiencing the occasional tropical weather system. Hurricane season stretches from June 1st through November 30th, with peak activity between the months of August and October. With that being said, we are currently monitoring Tropical Storm Isaac in the Atlantic Ocean. While it is still too early to determine how our campus may be affected by this storm, we want to let you know that we have a comprehensive plan in place if it is determined that the campus would experience the effects of a storm system.

Our primary method of communication regarding severe weather will be via Southeastern email as well as the emergency "e2Campus" text alert system. All on-campus students will receive additional communication through our residence life team. If you or your student have not yet signed up to receive emergency texts alerts you can do so by creating an account at https://www.e2campus.net/my/seuniversity/.

If Southeastern were to be at risk for severe weather as a result of a hurricane, classes would be cancelled and students would be allowed to evacuate campus. In cases where evacuation is necessary, students will be notified at least 48 hours in advance in order to give ample time to travel home. We do not recommend that students attempt to travel within 24 hours of a storm making landfall, as they risk being caught in roadside traffic jams.

For students who are unable to travel home, please be assured that our campus is fully equipped to handle such emergencies. In the case of a power outage, our campus restaurant service has the capabilities to continue basic food service for our students for several days.

At this time, it is still too early to determine how Tropical Storm Isaac might affect our campus, but we want you to know that we are carefully monitoring the storm and are prepared if the storm situation should change.