TAMPA, Fla.– In the wake of Hurricane Helene, with the state of Florida teetering on the brink of another major disaster, The University of Tampa mobilized to monitor the storm and keep the campus informed as Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified and made its way to Florida, with Tampa seemingly directly in the eye of its destruction.
On Saturday, Oct. 5, UTampa’s Emergency Operations Team began their first chain of many storm-related emails, stating how Tropical Depression 14 was being monitored by the University, and although it was expected to continue developing, there were no operational changes planned for that moment.
Periodic updates continued through the weekend, with one message at 8:45 a.m. Sunday encouraged, “all University community members to have their personal hurricane preparations made and their plans in place in case they are needed.” By 5:45 p.m. that evening, the University announced that all nonessential operations and classes would be canceled from Oct. 7–9.
By Monday, a mandatory evacuation order was issued by Hillsborough County for Zones A and B. The University issued a statement explaining that the closure of academic and administrative buildings would be enforced beginning at 3 p.m. and that residential buildings would close by 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8.
In a survey completed by The Minaret marketing team, 60% of UTampa students believe the university “could have done more” to prepare students for Milton.
As many parents and students were concerned about the impact that the hurricane would have on students’ studies in the aftermath, Provost David Stern reassured in a statement at noon on Oct. 7 that absences due to the storm would not be penalized, and he encouraged that everyone remained focused on their safety during the storm.
Messages were sent to residential students soon afterward, detailing evacuation procedures and options for shelter. 4,783 students that lived on campus evacuated, and only four students went to a shelter,Stephanie Russell Krebs, the Vice President of Student Affairs and Strategic Initiatives shared at the UTampa Board of Trustees meeting.
Updates continued through the week, detailing the successful closure of UTampa and the expected conditions that Hurricane Milton would bring.
A Post-Hurricane message was sent out at 1 p.m. on Thursday, the day after Hurricane Milton struck Florida’s west coast, explaining how initial assessments showed no significant damage occurring to the campus, but mandatory evacuation orders remained in effect and classes would remain canceled until Monday, Oct. 14. It was advised in that same statement that, “due to downed trees, power lines, debris, inoperable traffic signals and standing water throughout the Tampa Bay area, please use caution when traveling around the area.”
The reopening of campus was happily announced the next day, Oct. 11, and would be in effect beginning Sunday, Oct. 13, at 9 a.m.
As the University slowly began unleashing plans for reopening, the entire UTampa community — including students, faculty and staff, and their families — was invited to join a complimentary hot lunch the day that campus reopens at Ultimate Dining in the Vaughn Center. 1,330 meals were served that day. In another show of support for the returning campus community, it was announced that Dining Services would be sponsoring a comfort station throughout the week for all members with a Spartan ID serving snacks and sandwiches. An email was also sent with a multitude of resources, both on and off campus, available to assist and support all members of UTampa.
Plans to make up the lost days of both Helene and Milton were announced by the Office of the Provost on the Monday that classes resumed in an effort to meet the requirements of the University’s accrediting body, SACSCOC. Thus, a schedule for Saturday classes was revealed. However, the statement did explain that, “faculty may choose many different paths to the end of the semester so not all make-up work will occur on Saturdays.”
As Krebs said in a Board of Trustees meeting on Oct. 24, “We really wanted to make sure our students have a chance to get back their time from their education experience.”
The last few updates related to the hurricane came in the form of updating residential students on their dorm-related aspects and a final encouraging message by President Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg at the end of the week.
The president stated, “As we face the aftermath of these storms, and move forward with our personal and professional lives, remember that the strength of our Spartan community lies in our resilience and support for one another.”
All of these updates reflected The University of Tampa’s active communication and support for the campus community before, during, and after Hurricane Milton’s impact.
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Photo by Mariam Bernardini-Herrera.