As of 2 p.m. Friday afternoon (Aug. 26), weather forecasters are predicting Hurricane Irene will make landfall early Saturday morning on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, possibly near Cape Hatteras.
University officials are closely monitoring reports from emergency management agencies and state officials and taking precautions to keep the campus community safe.
The University is operating on a normal schedule. Although Irene is not expected to affect campus operations, conditions could change.
Look for announcements on www.unc.edu, alertcarolina.unc.edu and through other communications including text messages, if the situation warrants.
If you have not registered your cell phone to receive text messages about emergencies from the University, go to alertcarolina.unc.edu and click on “Register Your Cell Phone.”
In the Triangle area, forecasters predict the possibility of one to two inches of rain and sustained winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour and gusts of up to 40 miles per hour throughout the day on Saturday. If flooding occurs, police advise people to avoid those areas.
If conditions produced by Hurricane Irene in our area warrant further precautions, campus police will activate an ALERT CONDITION to inform the campus that high winds and rain are approaching the campus and the community.
You will be instructed to:
- Seek shelter now.
- Stay away from windows, doors and building balconies.
- Stay inside until the storm passes.
You will also receive a text message with the similar instructions, among other communications from the University. (Those include campus-wide e-mail, the Adverse Weather and Emergency Phone Line, 919-843-1234, for recorded information, and the University Access Channel (Chapel Hill Time Warner Cable Channel 4) along with other campus cable television channels.
For additional details, please refer to the University’s e-mail notification on Wednesday to the campus community.
Published August 26, 2011.