HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS & RESOURCES

Hurricane Season

The Atlantic Hurricane Season is from June 1 – November 30 with the peak activity from Mid-August to October.

Campus Closures

Indian River State College actively monitors all tropical systems that could affect our campuses. The decision to close campus or cancel classes is made in consultation with the executive leadership team, the provost, and local emergency authorities.

• If a hurricane is classified as Category 3 or higher, the College operates under a mandatory evacuation policy
• Students residing in River Hammock are required to vacate in the event of a Hurricane or Tropical Storm
• All campuses will follow the same procedures and close if a campus closure is deemed necessary.

Updates on Storms

The campus will receive notifications through the River Alert emergency notification system, including text messages, emails, and a banner notification on the College’s website. Updates will also be available on social media channels. Follow local radio and broadcast media for the most up-to-date information on incoming storms.

• Irsc.edu
• Facebook, Instagram,
• College Radio Stations: WQCS
• WQCP 91.1 FM, WQCO 90.5 FM (Okeechobee), and WQJS 88.5 FM (Clewiston)
• Local News: WPTV NewsChannel 5, WPEC CBS 12, WPBF 25 News
• Sign up for county alerts

Stay Prepared

• Know you evacuation zone [link to https://www.floridadisaster.org/knowyourzone/]
• Make a plan
• Build a 72-hour emergency kit

Build a 72-hour emergency kit containing 3-days worth (At minimum) of:

• water (one gallon per person per day),
• shelf-stable food and a manual can opener
• prescription medications
• flashlight and extra batteries
• battery-powered or hand-crank radio
• portable phone charger
• copies of important documents
• cash in small bills

Plan your food around the likelihood of power loss — refrigerators don’t keep food safe for long without electricity, and electric stoves won’t work at all. A complete list can be found on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) website.

Follow Guidance from Local Officials

If local officials order an evacuation for your zone, go. You don’t have to drive hundreds of miles to be safe — friends, family, or a designated shelter in a nearby area may be all you need. Leave early, before conditions make travel dangerous.

Before evacuating, ensure your workspace is properly secured

• Verify that important files are saved to approved network drives, OneDrive, or other college-supported storage locations rather than solely on local devices.
• Shut down desktop computers, monitors, printers, and other non-essential electronic equipment prior to leaving campus.
• Unplug power cords from computers, monitors, printers, docking stations, and other sensitive electronics to help protect against power surges when service is restored.
• If possible, unplug network cables from desktop computers and network-connected devices.
• Move equipment away from windows and, where practical, elevate equipment off the floor if there is concern about water intrusion.
• Ensure laptops and other portable devices are secured and taken home by employees who may need remote access during the closure.

If you are sheltering in place, here’s what FEMA recommends:

• High Wings: go to a small, interior, windowless room in a sturdy building on the lowest level.
• Flooding: move to the highest level of the building, but do not climb into a closed attic, as rising water can trap you there.
• Do not walk, swim, or drive through flood waters. Turn around, don’t drown.
• Stay off the roads, stay connected to alerts, and trust the process.

 FEMAReady.gov

After the Storm

Before reopening, campus facilities and infrastructure will be evaluated to ensure it is safe for students and employees to return. For campus reopening information, check irsc.edu and your IRSC email. If the college closes due to a storm, communication about make-up work, extended deadlines, and online learning options will follow as soon as the situation allows.

Be mindful when returning to areas impacted by the storm

• return home only when local officials say it is safe to do so.
• avoid downed power or utility lines
• Do not walk, swim, wade, or drive through flood water
• Use text messages or social media to communicate with friends and family
• Save phone calls for emergencies as phone systems are often down or busy after a disaster

Resources

Being prepared means knowing where to turn before, during, and after a storm. Bookmark these resources now — don’t wait until a storm is in the forecast.

Indian River State College

• Campus emergency updates: RiverAlert or irsc.edu
• Indian River State College Campus Safety & Security: available across all campuses

Your County Emergency Management

State & Federal

• Florida Division of Emergency Management: floridadisaster.org
• National Hurricane Center: nhc.noaa.gov
• FEMA: ready.gov/hurricanes