USF ON ALERT

WHEN HURRICANE IAN THREATENED, THE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY RESPONDED

Carrie O’Brion

With more than 34 years of experience anticipating disasters, Guy Van Asten knows that preparing for a hurricane isn’t a seasonal activity.

“I’m a firm believer that if you get people educated early on, they will act early on,” said Van Asten, who serves as the interim emergency management coordinator on USF’s St. Petersburg campus. “We started back in February and March, saying to folks, ‘Hey, here’s our hurricane guide. Make sure you’re looking at this and please ask us any questions.’”

The preparation paid off when Hurricane Ian barreled toward Florida’s west coast in late September. Faced with the prospect of a direct hit from a powerful storm, personnel from throughout the University of South Florida sprang into action, taking steps to ensure the safety of students, faculty and staff.

When the campus was spared any significant damage, many members of the USF St. Petersburg community turned their attention to helping the people of southwest Florida, where Ian made a direct hit.

“I’m really proud of the way everyone came together to look out for one another both during and after the storm,” said Christian Hardigree, regional chancellor of USF’s St. Petersburg campus. “A crisis reveals a lot about character, and it’s clear that we are a caring, compassionate and resourceful community.”

THE CONE OF UNCERTAINTY

The 2022 hurricane season was relatively quiet until September 21, when a tropical wave that originated off the coast of western Africa moved into the Caribbean Sea, bringing large waves and gusty winds to the small island nations in its path.

We are talking about what the expectations are for the university as a whole, as well as what needs to be done on each campus as we start the five-day countdown to landfall.

Van Asten and other members of the Emergency Management team throughout USF were receiving regular updates from the National Weather Service and keeping a careful eye on the storm. As Ian gathered strength, the cone of uncertainty narrowed and it became increasingly likely that the west coast of Florida was going to suffer a direct hit.

The threat was especially acute on the USF St. Petersburg campus, which is located on the waterfront and is partially within Pinellas County’s Evacuation Zone A, which is most atrisk for flooding during a storm.

“As we’re watching the storm, we are in constant communication with our partners in Tampa and Sarasota-Manatee,” Van Asten said. “We are talking about what the expectations are for the university as a whole, as well as what needs to be done on each campus as we start the five-day countdown to landfall.”

On the Sunday before the storm was expected to strike, USF President Rhea Law and members of her senior leadership team met to discuss what actions to take. That evening, the university community was notified that classes were canceled on Monday, September 26 through Thursday, September 29. In addition, the campuses would be closed starting Tuesday, September 27.

The prompt action gave facilities crews time to prepare buildings and other campus structures in advance of the storm. The advance notification was also helpful for students who elected to be at home or with loved ones during the hurricane and didn’t have to worry about missing class.

While residence halls on the USF Tampa campus remained open, those on the St. Petersburg campus had to be vacated because they are located within a Pinellas County evacuation zone. Even before the evacuation notice was given, the Housing and Residential Education team on the St. Petersburg campus was reaching out to students, encouraging them to plan for the storm and helping to prepare those who didn’t have a safe place to stay.

By Monday afternoon, about 40 residential students didn’t have firm plans for evacuation. At Chancellor Hardigree’s request, members of her leadership team divided up the list of names and served as “hurricane buddies” to those students. The leaders checked in on the students via phone call or text to ensure they had a safe place to stay and to answer any questions they might have.

“The safety of our students is always our top priority, and this was a good way for us to demonstrate it,” Hardigree said. “Several of the students said they appreciated the personal connection, and I think the members of the leadership team enjoyed interacting with the students.”

In the end, only eight residential students needed accommodations during the hurricane. Susan Kimbrough, director of housing and residential education on the St. Petersburg campus, worked with her USF colleagues to arrange for the students to bunk in a residence hall on the Tampa campus.

“Despite the circumstances, I think the students had a good time,” Kimbrough said. “They played games, made new friends and even had the opportunity to meet President Law, who stopped by for a visit. All in all, everything went very smoothly.”

A COMMUNITY-FOCUSED RESPONSE

Hurricane Ian made landfall on the barrier island of Caya Costo as a strong Category 4 storm, bringing catastrophic wind and flooding to southwest and central Florida and leading to more than 125 fatalities. The Tampa Bay area was spared the brunt of the hurricane, although strong winds snapped trees and downed power lines throughout the region. Avoiding any significant damage and power outages on the campus, leaders at USF’s St. Petersburg campus sought to assist others who may have been impacted.

With more than 500,000 Tampa Bay residents without power, the campus decided to open its University Student Center (USC) the day after the storm to members of the community who needed a place to charge their electronic devices, grab a snack and cool off. About 50 people, including several families with young children, took advantage of the opportunity.

“We were very fortunate,” said Caryn Nesmith, the director of community relations at USF’s St. Petersburg campus. “Our close ties to the community help define us as a campus and this was our way of looking out for our friends and neighbors at a difficult time.”

Nesmith also reached out to the Rotary Club of St. Petersburg to assist with a relief drive to collect needed items for storm victims in southwest Florida. A collection box was placed in the USC and within days it was overflowing with toiletries, canned goods, paper towels and other essential supplies for those in need.

The university recognized the likelihood that students would experience additional challenges due to the storm. Members of the university community were encouraged to make a gift to the USF United Support Fund, which provides a safety net for students facing unanticipated financial challenges. Counseling services were also made available on all three USF campuses.

While many helped locally in and around campus, other members of the USF community traveled to the storm-torn areas to aid in ongoing relief effort. Rianna McDonald, a journalism student on the USF St. Petersburg campus, is one of many military-connected and veteran students who helped Florida residents get back on their feet after Ian’s devastation.

McDonald, an Army National Guard soldier, was deployed to Sebring, Fla., where she worked at a distribution site handing out water, food and ice to residents.

“The community was just really strong. People were coming together and thankful for the help from us and other first responders,” McDonald said. “To be in a situation like the many people we encountered were in is awful, but their spirits were up.”