University continues to monitor Hurricane Florence, but regional impact expected to be minimal

Johns Hopkins University officials continue to monitor the progress of Hurricane Florence, which made landfall this morning as a Category 1 storm in North Carolina and is expected to lash the southeast U.S. with heavy winds and rainfall for days.

Although Florence remains a very large and powerful cyclone, its projected path has veered south, and impacts in the Baltimore-Washington region are expected to be minimal.

A handful of athletics events and outdoor recreational trips have been affected by the forecast, but otherwise, no major changes to class schedules or other university events are expected this weekend, according to a message sent to the university community this morning by Jonathan Links, vice provost and chief risk and compliance officer; Robert McLean, vice president for facilities and real estate; and Melissa Hyatt, vice president for security.

Members of the university community were asked to take precautions before leaving for the weekend, including:

• Ensuring that windows are closed, especially in offices, classrooms, labs or other spaces where no one will be present
• Powering down computers and other equipment that does not need to be kept running
• For those with offices that occupy rented space—and especially those with offices along the Baltimore waterfront and in other flood-prone areas—checking with property management about emergency procedures

Information about emergency situations or interruptions to university operations can be found online at jhu.edu/alert

Additionally, members of the university community can sign up to receive emergency alerts via text by going to my.jh.edu, logging in with their JHED ID and password, and going to "My Profile/Emergency Alerts." Students, particularly those living in campus housing, can find more information about emergency preparation on the Homewood Student Affairs website.

Standard guidance for impending weather emergencies is to ensure that you have enough non-perishable food and water for several days, flashlights and batteries, medications, and other essentials. Additional guidance on hurricanes, power outages, flooding, and other events is available on ready.gov.