In preparation for Hurricane Irma, a category five storm, the University of the Virgin Islands will close today, Tuesday, Sept. 5, until further notice. UVI students and faculty are advised that there will be no classes after 11 a.m. today. Students residing on campus, who have permanent residences on island, are advised to return home.
UVI’s campuses will close at noon today. University employees are advised to secure their work areas before leaving UVI by noon. Plastics and sand bags are available at Physical Plant on both campuses. Only essential employees are required to stay on campus for the storm. UVI has been preparing for the storm since Friday and will finalize storm preparation today.
A hurricane warning is in effect for the U.S. Virgin Islands. According to the National Hurricane Center’s 8 a.m. advisory, Hurricane Irma has maximum sustained winds near 175 miles per hour with higher gusts.
The UVI community is asked to be vigilant and monitor all forms of communication. UVI status updates will be available on the homepage of the UVI website, www.uvi.edu, and in the News section of the site. Status updates will also be available on social media: www.facebook.com/uvi.edu and twitter.com/uvi_edu; and campus hotlines: (340) 692-4168 on St. Croix and (340) 693-1016 on St. Thomas. Please listen to local radio stations for updates as well.
Information on steps to prepare for inclement weather can be found on UVI’s Emergency Preparedness webpage via this direct link: Emergency Preparedness. All UVI students and employees are encouraged to sign-up for UVI’s Rave emergency notification system, which is used to share critical information via text messages and e-mail. Participants simply add their cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses to the “Personal Information” page in UVI’s BanWeb accounts. Additional instructions on signing up for Rave are available from this direct link.
Employees are also urged to secure their homes and families. Visit http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ for a hurricane preparedness guide or use this link to for the Tropical Cyclone preparedness guide, which features the Family Emergency Plan on page 12. Please remain safe and be extra careful during the next few days.