Updated Friday, October 18, 2024 4 p.m.
Dear Eckerd Community,
Progress on the restoration of our campus this week confirms that we will be able to return to residential classes on Monday, October 28. We are excited to welcome the Eckerd community back to campus following an extraordinary few weeks.
Academic and administrative buildings, most office spaces and Armacost Library had power and wastewater restored in the past week. Several residential buildings still remain offline, but will be restored within the next several days.
The schedule for reopening the College is as follows:
Monday, Oct. 21: Faculty and staff return to in-person operations and to finalize the reopening of facilities beginning at 8 a.m. There will be no food service or sales on campus this week. Employees should see yesterday’s email from Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty Christine Wooley and Chief Human Resources Officer Liana Hemingway for important details about the current conditions on campus. Faculty and staff with transportation challenges are reminded that the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority system is free to all riders with a current Eckerd College ID.
Saturday, Oct. 26: The College fully reopens. Students may start moving back into their residence halls starting at 9 a.m.; food service will open for lunch. Students whose travel may delay their return to campus past Sunday, October 27, should email tropicalassistance@eckerd.edu.
Monday, Oct. 28: In-person classes resume on campus.
Please note: There may still be hazards when you return. Work continues on buildings that were impacted. Campus Safety has placed barricades or caution tape in most areas that should be avoided. Please tread carefully. Pay close attention to signage and park in safe areas, which may require a longer walk to your office spaces and classes than usual. There will be vendors and workers continuing their work in several areas across campus.
There will also be ongoing recovery operations across St. Petersburg and Pinellas County upon the return of our student body. For those who would like to volunteer to help, please sign up here to be connected with opportunities, including cleaning up the Community Farm and replanting the Living Shoreline.
Further instructions will be communicated via email from the appropriate offices on Monday, October 21.
Updated Wednesday, October 16, 2024 5 p.m.
Dear Eckerd Community,
We hope faculty and students who observed Fall Reading Days on Monday and Tuesday were able to regroup and recharge. Remote instruction resumed today and will continue through at least Friday, October 25.
We are grateful to Duke Energy who visited campus today, our partners with the City of St. Petersburg who are providing support, and the restoration teams working hard to operationalize our campus. Once reports from Duke are received, we look forward to updating you on the status of power. Half of the lift stations that control our wastewater system have been restored. Though progress is being made, we have not yet been able to finalize a return date.
Students: Students will be able to retrieve items from residence hall rooms beginning tomorrow, October 17, through Saturday, October 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Please complete this form to schedule a date; we do not want you to miss class. The number of students allowed each day will be limited to 75 because of the continued wastewater service issues. Additional dates and times during October 21–25 will be provided via email over the weekend.
Employees: Faculty and staff can reserve a time slot to access campus and retrieve items using the sign up form. Given the status of our campus, we are limiting the number of individuals who come to campus during each hour time block. If you have questions about the status of programs or other campus operations, email opshelp@eckerd.edu.
Answers to post-hurricane FAQs can be found on eckerd.edu/tropical.
Our next update is planned for Friday. Any changes will be communicated via the emergency notification system and posted on eckerd.edu/tropical.
Updated Monday, October 14, 2024 5 p.m.
Dear Eckerd Community,
Recovery for St. Petersburg is progressing, though many residents including many of our employees remain without power or reliable internet services. The boil water notice has been lifted, and linemen are seen throughout the city making repairs. We are working with a professional disaster restoration company, Duke Energy and Pinellas County Utilities to return our campus to fully operational status.
Currently, the campus has no wastewater service due to damaged lift stations. Power, air conditioning and IT services also are limited. Therefore, residence halls are not ready for occupation and academic spaces and administrative offices are not ready for use. Remote instruction will resume on Wednesday, October 16, and continue at least through Friday, October 25.
We understand the strong desire of our community to return to campus; all of us are anxious to resume normal operations. The recovery team is scheduling repair services to address our power and wastewater needs as quickly as possible. Once we know the timeline for repairs, we will be able to share a return schedule.
Fall Reading Days: October 14 and 15 remain as Fall Reading Days. No formal class meetings will occur on these days.
Residence Halls: Each residence hall room has been inspected. Students whose residence hall room was impacted by the wind-driven rain will be contacted by Student Affairs staff today via telephone or email.
Mail Services: Mail delivery to campus has been suspended since Wednesday, September 25. The Mail Services Team is currently working to reestablish services. If you have specific mail-related questions, please email mailservices@eckerd.edu.
Assistance: Students in need of assistance should contact tropicalassistance@eckerd.edu. As conducted post Hurricane Helene, we are currently identifying dates and times for students to retrieve items from the residence hall rooms while campus is closed. More information to follow. Employees in need of assistance with housing, property clean-up and repair, access to power and internet can email employeeneeds@eckerd.edu; please look for a prior email from Human Resources with more information and support resources.
Our next update is planned for Wednesday. Any changes will be communicated via emergency notification system and posted on eckerd.edu/tropical.
Updated Friday, October 11, 2024 2 p.m.
Dear Eckerd Community,
Hurricane Milton—a Category 3 storm—made landfall near Siesta Key Wednesday night and brought wind gusts of up to 120 miles per hour ashore on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Our thoughts are with our community members and all residents of Central Florida who are beginning the recovery process after damaging winds, flash floods caused by more than 14 inches of rain, and widespread power outages remained in Milton’s wake. Please heed Pinellas County orders about potable water, traffic and debris clean-up.
Campus remains closed until we receive an “all clear” message from our recovery team. Thursday’s preliminary assessments showed no significant structural damage to buildings and no evidence of storm surge. During today’s assessment, the team has observed soffit and fascia damage to several buildings and a few broken windows in non-residential buildings. There is an abundance of debris and several downed trees. Restoring power to buildings across campus also has begun in an effort to identify and address additional issues within the electrical infrastructure of campus. Post-storm recovery crews have returned to campus to continue the work that began post-Hurricane Helene.
We will be able to provide an update on our return plan by Monday, October 14.
Students:
- October 14 and 15 will remain as Fall Reading Days. No formal class meetings will occur on these days.
- Remote instruction will resume on Wednesday, October 16, and continue through at least Friday, October 18.
Employees: Staff, who are able, are expected to report for remote work on Monday, October 14. Vice presidents and supervisors will communicate with staff about their ability to work remotely; their assistance may be needed on campus for storm-related matters or in-person tasks. Employees in need of assistance–such as housing, property clean-up and repair, access to power and internet–can email employeeneeds@eckerd.edu; please look for an email from Human Resources with more information and support resources.
Faculty: Please contact your collegial chair if you are unable to resume remote instruction on Wednesday, October 16.
As many of us clean up our homes and offer help to others or seek support during continued power outages, the College continues its own efforts to prepare campus for the return of students, faculty and staff.
The next update on campus operations from EMET is planned for Monday, October 14. Faculty, staff and students should anticipate additional communications via email.
Updated Thursday, October 10, 2024 10 p.m.
Dear Eckerd Community,
We hope that you and your families are safe and did not experience any serious impacts from Hurricane Milton. Late this afternoon, members of DART, our disaster assessment and recovery team, did a preliminary assessment of Milton’s impacts on campus. Although an in-depth assessment will begin tomorrow, it appears at this point that, thankfully, our campus escaped serious damage during the storm.
Friday, October 11 will be an inclement weather day for staff apart from those staff whose responsibilities include storm response and whose supervisors have been in touch.
Faculty should refer to earlier communications from the Dean of Faculty regarding expectations for remote instruction after Milton.
Students should follow the instructions from their faculty regarding remote learning for Friday, October 11.
President Annarelli and the College’s Executive Staff will be meeting tomorrow to determine next steps and set a schedule for a return to operations.
After the storm, faculty, staff and students received a check-in text message and email. Please answer if you have not already done so.
Please look for an email via our emergency notification system with further details tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Emergency Management Executive Team (EMET)
Updated Wednesday, October 9, 2024 11 a.m.
Dear Eckerd Community,
Pinellas County has announced an afternoon closure for the four major bridges in the county. Thank you to everyone who has provided their location in the student and employee forms. If you have not yet done so, please let us know where you intend to shelter during the storm.
Hurricane Milton continues to move eastward decreasing the storm surge estimate in the Tampa Bay area to 8- to 12-feet above sea level. Sustained hurricane force winds could arrive in Pinellas County as early as 2 p.m., Wednesday. Make sure you are prepared with food and supplies to sustain you through possible power outages and impassible roadways.
Our area is under a Zone A, B, and C evacuation order. A storm surge warning, tropical storm warning, hurricane warning, flood watch and tornado watch are in effect for Pinellas County. Please follow county orders.
Remember: Do not leave your sheltering space until an all-clear has been issued by local authorities, and do not return to campus until the College has assessed campus after the storm and announced that it is safe to return.
For those who have taken shelter in cities that will be affected by the storm, Pinellas County reminds us to:
- Charge your phone.
- Sign up for text weather alerts from ALERT Pinellas, or the municipality when you are sheltering.
- Decide on one point of contact (out of town preferably) to communicate with to save on power; tell people to get updates from that person. Make sure your friends and family understand you will likely lose connection.
- Stay calm. Keep kids and pets calm. Talk to your children about what will happen—be clear and honest, but not scary—warn them that electronics may not work.
- Close interior doors. Secure and brace external doors.
- If power goes out, use flashlights, battery-operated lanterns or chemical light sticks.
- Stay indoors and stay calm. Do not be fooled if there is a lull; it could be the eye of the storm and winds may pick up again.
- Pinellas County may experience storm surge as the storm moves east which may occur after hurricane force winds have subsided. Do not assume that the danger has passed.
- Stay in your home until officials state that it is safe.
Communication may pause as the storm passes through the county. After the storm, staff, faculty, and students will receive a check-in message from the emergency notification system. Please answer promptly. The Eckerd College Emergency Management team will assess the campus post-storm and provide an update on the campus’s status.
Updates will be issued via the emergency notification system and posted on eckerd.edu/tropical.
Updated Monday, October 7, 2024 3:30 p.m.
Dear Eckerd Community,
Thank you for all your patience as we work to secure campus ahead of the possible impacts of Hurricane Milton, which we expect to make landfall as a major hurricane Wednesday. As a reminder, classes are canceled through Wednesday and campus will remain closed until the College can assess any damage and provide a timeline for safe return.
Our area is now under a Hurricane Warning and Storm Surge Warning until further notice. Pinellas County has issued a mandatory evacuation notice for Zones A through C. Please follow county orders, and if evacuation is part of your plan, go as soon as possible.
For those who haven’t yet filled out the appropriate Location Form—student or employee—please do so.
If you are sheltering in areas in the path of Hurricane Milton, remember to stay indoors away from windows during the storm. After the storm, staff, faculty, and students will receive a check-in message from the emergency notification system. Please answer promptly.
Any changes will be communicated via emergency notification system and posted on eckerd.edu/tropical. The College’s Emergency Management Executive Team continues to meet regularly. Our next storm update is planned for Wednesday.
Posted Sunday, October 6, 2024 3:30 p.m.
Dear Eckerd Community,
The Emergency Management Executive Team (EMET) is monitoring Hurricane Milton which is projected to make landfall on the west coast of Florida on Wednesday with winds predicted to arrive as early as Tuesday afternoon.
Remote college operations including all academic instruction will cease beginning Monday, October 7, to allow time for faculty, staff and students in the Tampa Bay area to secure their residences and heed county orders. IT services will be impacted during this time. EMET will provide an update on operations after the storm has passed.
There will be no access to campus starting at 4 p.m. Monday; to retrieve items from campus, students should email tropicalassistance@eckerd.edu and employees should email safety@eckerd.edu to schedule a time before then.
All faculty, staff and students must complete the Location Form—student or employee—to share where they will be located during the storm.
Updates from EMET will be issued via the emergency notification system and posted on eckerd.edu/tropical.
