USF closes all campuses due to Tropical Storm Helene

*The National Hurricane Center’s 5 p.m. advisory shows the possible path of Tropical Storm Helene. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER*

All USF campuses will be closed from Wednesday until Friday due to the possible impacts of Tropical Storm Helene.

All classes are canceled until next Monday, according to a universitywide email sent out on Tuesday. The campuses are expected to reopen on Saturday, but a final decision on operations will be announced on Friday, the email read.

Only essential personnel or those critical to campus operations will work – either on campus or remotely – for the rest of the week.

Parts of the Tampa Bay area are currently under hurricane watch and storm surge warnings as Tropical Storm Helene nears the state’s Gulf Coast. A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions, with winds of 74 mph or higher, are possible in the region, according to the National Ocean Service.

Tropical Storm Helene is expected to “intensify and be near hurricane strength” by Wednesday as it travels across the northeastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm is set to turn into a major hurricane by Thursday, meaning it will be a Category 3 or higher with winds of at least 111 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center’s model.

Residence halls

USF St. Pete residence halls will be closed starting Wednesday, while Sarasota-Manatee and Tampa campus dorms will remain open.

If St. Pete dorm residents do not have a place to go to, they will have to “reserve a space” by 9 p.m. on Tuesday to relocate to the Juniper-Poplar Hall on the Tampa campus, according to the email.

To make a reservation, students can email Susan Kimbrough, USF St. Pete’s director of Housing and Residential Education, at susank@usf.edu.

Those moving to the Tampa campus will be picked up at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Pete’s University Student Center.

The email did not include information on USF’s plan if Tampa campus dorms have to shut down due to the conditions.

Dining

Juniper Dining, the HUB, Corner Market and Bulls Xpress will all remain open from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. Wednesday, according to an email sent to Tampa campus residents.

Dining halls will resume normal operations by Saturday.

Shelf-stable food, or non-perishables, and water will also be available to students for pickup on Wednesday at Argos and Juniper Dining.

USF Health

USF Health clinical facilities will remain open on Wednesday but will close on Thursday, the email said.

USF has not yet made a decision regarding Friday operations.

Weather conditions

Though Tampa will begin to see scattered showers and thunderstorms starting on Wednesday, tropical storm conditions are not expected until Thursday, according to the National Weather Service forecast.

The conditions might last until Thursday night, according to the forecast. Thunderstorms are also possible in the following days.

There is also danger of “life-threatening storm surge from Tropical Storm Helene along the entire west coast of the Florida Peninsula and Florida Big Bend,” according to a 5 p.m. update from the National Hurricane Center.

How to prepare

*Kits should include water, a first aid kit, flashlights and non-perishable foods. ORACLE GRAPHIC/JEISLIAN QUILES-SIERRA*

Everyone should ensure they have a disaster supply kit that will last them for seven days, according to USF’s hurricane guide.

Some of the items that should be in the kit include:

Water
Non-perishable food
Can opener
Battery-powered or hand crank AM/FM radio
Flashlights
Batteries
First aid kit
Clothes
Medications
Cash

USF’s hurricane guide also advises residents to unplug their refrigerators and any other power chords. They should also empty their refrigerators and wrap towels around the bases, according to the guide.

Students should close and lock their windows and doors.

A valid USF parking permit is still required to leave a car on campus, according to the guide. However, USF recommends that students take their cars with them when possible.

USF has also posted a list of frequently asked questions in relation to the storm and campus operations.

A list of emergency shelters near the Tampa campus can be found on the Hillsborough County website.

All updates from the university will be communicated through email or official USF websites.

Camila Gomez, Editor in Chief

Camila Gomez is the editor in chief of The Oracle. She's a political science and mass communications double major. She started at The Oracle in fall 2022 as a correspondent and worked her way up to managing editor. She grew up in Nicaragua and has a strong desire to build community through her reporting. Reach her at oracleeditor@gmail.com.

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