Tuesday, October 04, 2016

UNCW is closely monitoring the potential impact of Hurricane Matthew in partnership with the National Weather Service and local and state agencies. In the meantime, please review the many ways UNCW shares information about inclement weather.   

• Students, faculty and staff should monitor their campus email inboxes. This is often the first way the university will communicate a weather update, so messages with a reference to the weather in the subject line merit careful review.
• Monitor the UNCW homepage and the UNCW Alert page, and the university's social media sites on Facebook and Twitter. 
• Call the Emergency Information Hotline at 910.962.3991 or 888.657.5751. 
• In the event of an emergency requiring the immediate dissemination of information (e.g., seek shelter, etc.), the university will issue a text alert and automated phone call. Many students, faculty and staff have already signed up for this service. Those who haven't done so are encouraged to log into MySeaport and click “Register to Receive UNCW Emergency Texts” on the lower left side of the page. (For further information, please go to https://.uncw.edu/ehs/heathandsafetyinfo.html.) 

In order to prepare for the possibility of Matthew’s arrival, students, faculty and staff also are encouraged to review UNCW's Emergency Preparedness Information materials and hurricane-related information found on EH&S’s website, which includes UNCW’s hurricane operations plan, evacuation details and emergency checklists.

Be advised that rip currents are likely to affect the Cape Fear coast later this week, whether or not the storm makes landfall. Depending on the storm’s eventual track, heavy rains, hazardous roads and potential flood conditions are possible.

The university will issue updates on Hurricane Matthew as soon as weather authorities feel more confident in its path and expected impact. At present, we expect to have enough information to warrant a campus email late Tuesday, Oct. 4 or early Wednesday, Oct. 5.