麻豆原创 Professor Christopher Emrich, an expert in hazard science, social vulnerability, disaster recovery and community resiliency, has plenty of experience with hurricanes. He鈥檚 worked with FEMA and other federal agencies to identify vulnerabilities in communities affected by hurricanes and to develop resiliency strategies.

As part of 麻豆原创鈥檚 National Center for Integrated Coastal Research, Emrich conducts studies into planning for and responding to disasters.

Here he offers some do’s and don鈥檛’s to help you get ready for hurricane season

The Do’s

1. Get flood insurance. If you do not live in a flood zone the average cost is $660 a year for $250,000 worth of coverage. One inch of flood water can cause more than $25,000 in damage.
2. Make sure you have enough supplies for seven days.
3. Start preparing as early as possible. Pick up an extra gallon of water every time you go to the grocery store until you have 7 gallons per person 鈥� 1 gallon per day for seven days. Or buy a WaterBob or similar product that will turn your bathtub into a storage tank.
4. Buy non-perishable foods that are full of protein, like peanut butter. Two tablespoons provide enough energy to get through a meal time during an emergency.
5. Get 5-gallon buckets with fitted lids from Home Depot, Walmart or similar stores. These are great for storing electronics, batteries, chargers, important documents, medicines and food. Properly closing the lids on these buckets also allows them to float.
6. Establish a designated shelter area where you鈥檒l keep emergency supplies in your home so you鈥檙e not scrambling around to find them. Do not raid your supplies once you have them ready. You can use them and replenish after hurricane season.
7. Make an evacuation plan. Make sure you and everyone in your family knows where to meet in case anyone gets separated. Talk through the plan often so everyone is on the same page. DO NOT wait until an evacuation order is issued to create a plan. Failure to plan = planned failure.
8. Turn on emergency notifications on your mobile devices. Based on your location, new warning systems can send messages with weather updates, alerts and other useful information. These alerts can be more up-to-date than newscasts, so you should trust them for the most accurate information. Take shelter when instructed.
9. Keep an emergency escape tool in each of your vehicles. This may come in handy for cutting seatbelts or breaking glass in an emergency.
10. Check on neighbors, especially those who are elderly or need extra help before, during and after emergencies.

顿辞苍鈥檛’蝉

1. Don鈥檛 let your car鈥檚 gas tank get below half-full at any point during the summer.
2. Don鈥檛 think you know more than weather experts. Instead, listen to trained emergency management officials, meteorologists and other leaders whose job it is to keep you informed and safe.
3. 聽Don鈥檛 bother taping up your windows because it doesn鈥檛 reduce the risk of them blowing out. This is especially true for people living apartments. Plus, it will only cause problems when removing the tape.
4. 聽Don鈥檛 drive through flooded streets, even if you鈥檙e very familiar with the street. A few inches of water can move a vehicle. Sinkholes may also develop on flooded roads and you won鈥檛 be able to see them.

Resources

In the event of a storm, 麻豆原创 will provide communication with instructions on closures, depending on the weather conditions pre-and post-hurricanes. Our priority it to keep you safe. All students and employees automatically are signed up to receive these messages, and settings can be updated via聽. A parent, spouse or other secondary contact鈥檚 email address also can be added, allowing them to receive the updates.

In the meantime, here鈥檚 some information we hope you find useful to help you prepare at home.

Florida Hurricane Preparedness Tax Free Holiday: June 1-14

Floridians can purchase qualified hurricane preparedness related items such as batteries and generators and will not be required to pay sales tax. This year the holiday is earlier to encourage people to plan early. Click for a list of qualified items.

Families with special needs are encouraged to sign up with the , which is a part of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, to get information about resources in preparation and during a storm emergency.

Personalized disaster plans are critical and .

Communicating with children about disasters can help alleviate stress. This website offers tips, games and age specific information for families.

Planning for pets is also important. Floridadisaster.org聽offers advice for pet and livestock management.

Emergency kits can make all the difference for riding out a storm. Do you have all the ?

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is estimated to be highly active. Projections suggest 24 named storms, with 11 anticipated to become hurricanes, according to The Weather Channel and Atmospheric G2. Six hurricanes are forecasted to become Category 3 or higher, presenting substantial threats to coastal and inland regions.

University and Personal Planning

At 麻豆原创, teams plan and train for hurricane season year-round. 麻豆原创鈥檚 Emergency Management team works hard to prevent, prepare for, manage and recover from a variety of threats to 麻豆原创, including severe weather.

麻豆原创 is a designated StormReady university through the National Weather Service.

In addition to the work being done at the central level, led by the Department of Emergency Management, we encourage all departments to evaluate their own hurricane procedures and staffing plans at this time, in advance of an imminent storm.

When tropical weather systems are threatening, Emergency Management is in communication with our local National Weather Service office in Melbourne, NOAA and the National Hurricane Center. If a serious storm or hurricane threatens our region, Governor Ron DeSantis and 麻豆原创 President Alexander N. Cartwright have the authority to cancel classes or close campuses. 麻豆原创 often does so in consultation with other area colleges, school districts and government officials.

We encourage students and 麻豆原创 employees to put together their own hurricane safety kits and to create a plan with their families and loved ones should a storm impact Central Florida.

Prepping a Hurricane Kit

Knights should assemble a hurricane kit, which should provide enough essentials to survive at least three days. Kits should include:

• Water
• Nonperishable food
• Weather radio
• Flashlight
• First aid kit
• Batteries
• Can opener
• Cash
• Cell phone charge
• Identification cards
• Any necessary prescription medications

This year鈥檚 Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday extends June 1-14. This two-week tax holiday allows Floridians to prepare for hurricane season while saving money on essential disaster preparedness items.

How to Stay Informed

The 麻豆原创 Alert text and email message system will be used to keep the university community notified of severe weather threats. All students and employees automatically are signed up to receive these messages, and settings can be updated via . A parent, spouse or other secondary contact鈥檚 email address also can be added, allowing them to receive the updates.

In addition to 麻豆原创 Alert messages, details about any class cancelations, impact to services or campus closures will be shared on the 麻豆原创 homepage, and @麻豆原创 and @麻豆原创Police on social media. Faculty members also are encouraged to post any changes to class assignments due to campus closures on Webcourses.

麻豆原创 has been impacted by hurricanes before, and we have been able to weather those storms while maintaining our strong commitment to academic excellence and student success.

While we hope for a hurricane-free season, it is always best to prepare and educate yourself in advance of a storm, especially in time such as now that requires extra considerations and flexibility.

Let鈥檚 each do our part by staying aware and prepared, and together, we鈥檒l make 麻豆原创 a safer place for all of us.

Steps we have taken include:

Dedicated, Individualized Support

Students impacted by the storm with outstanding needs can contact Student Care Services for one-on-one support. Beginning Sept. 30, over 50 麻豆原创 staff members have mobilized to contact nearly 700 students who have reached out to the university for assistance. Support provided ranges from meal vouchers to information on applying for university emergency aid to placing students in emergency housing to notification of faculty members.

How Students Can Access This Resource:
Fill out the

Distributing Emergency Aid

麻豆原创 is disbursing emergency grants to students who were substantially impacted by the storm and who are eligible. These funds are provided by the generous support of our community and donors who have contributed to help students get back on their feet. 麻豆原创 is continuously reviewing requests for these Student Emergency Fund Grants. Students who are eligible will receive a notification once their application is approved with information about disbursement of available funds.

How Students Can Access This Resource:
Fill out the , and a representative from Student Care Services will contact you to discuss your needs and what funding you may be eligible for.

Launched Short-term Housing Program

A short-term housing program was created in partnership with local hotels to provide a temporary housing option for students who indicated they are displaced due to the storm. The university also has been in contact with local complexes and has shared which properties have immediate availability using 麻豆原创鈥檚 Off-Campus Partners site, part of an effort to connect students with a safe place to stay as they recover from the storm and to reduce barriers as they continue their education.

How Students Can Access This Resource:
Students who have come forward to Student Care Services indicating their needs should check their text messages and emails for more information.

Providing Academic Support

Students experiencing academic challenges due to the impacts of Hurricane Ian can contact 麻豆原创 success coaches who are available for guidance and support to promote their success in the classroom, either online or face-to-face.

Student Care Services has notified faculty members of students who have experienced significant hardship and that they may miss class or classwork.

How Students Can Access This Resource:
Call the 麻豆原创 Online Connect Center at 855-903-8576 to speak with a success coach. Follow up with your faculty members as soon as possible to discuss your situation

Supporting Employees

麻豆原创 has launched the Hurricane Ian Disaster Leave Program to provide eligible employees who are facing severe hardships with additional leave to give them time to address their recovery needs thanks to accrued sick and/or annual leave donated by other 麻豆原创 faculty and staff members.

麻豆原创 also is seeking donations to the Faculty and Staff Emergency Relief Fund, and employees who indicate their impact may be contacted with additional resources.

How to Access This Resource:
Impacted employees should communicate directly with their supervisors regarding their ability to return to work and their need to utilize the hurricane leave program.

Mental Health Services

Students who may have experienced trauma during the storm or as they deal with recovery are encouraged to contact 麻豆原创 Counseling and Psychological Services鈥� (CAPS) crisis line. Students can also find peer support through Togetherall, an online, free platform that offers a safe space to connect with others experiencing similar feeling.

For employees, 麻豆原创鈥檚 Employee Assistance program is available to provide work, life and mental health support.

How to Access These Resources:
For CAPS services, call 407-823-2811 and press 5 to speak with a therapist. To access Togetherall, visit . Visit CAPS鈥� social media pages for updates on hurricane recovery therapy sessions.

Employees experiencing emotional distress or other personal hardship can contact 麻豆原创鈥檚 , HealthAdvocate, at for free, confidential, 24/7 assistance.

Providing Access to Transportation Options

Parking and Transportation Services has partnered with the Central Florida Transit Authority to provide complimentary access to safe, reliable Lynx shuttles for students and employees who need to relocate or whose vehicles have been damaged.

How to Access This Resource:
All 麻豆原创 students may ride Lynx shuttles by presenting a valid 麻豆原创 student or employee ID to drivers. You can utilize the to see how properties are connected to the Lynx Transit Center on 麻豆原创鈥檚 main campus.

Food and Essential Items

聽is open to all students, and through Oct. 31, to faculty and staff.

聽run from main campus to a nearby Publix and back Tuesdays 10 a.m.-8 p.m. A 麻豆原创 Downtown Grocery shuttle also provides service to and from a nearby Publix Tuesday 12:30-1:45 p.m. and 8:30-9:45 p.m.

How to Access These Resources:
Visit the Knights Pantry main campus location at Ferrell Commons and present a valid 麻豆原创 ID. Learn more here to access the grocery shuttles.

Continuing to Care for Our Community

As students鈥� needs continue to evolve after Hurricane Ian, 麻豆原创 will continue to care for our community and extend support. For updates on recovery and resources, check ucf.edu/hurricane.

Lynx Bus Access
Parking and Transportation Services has partnered with the Central Florida Transit Authority to provide complimentary access to routes on-board Lynx shuttles. A valid 麻豆原创 Student, Staff, and Faculty Identification card will be needed.

You can utilize the to see how properties are connected to the Lynx Transit Center on 麻豆原创鈥檚 main campus.

麻豆原创 Downtown Campus Shuttle
Students who relocate to housing in the downtown are permitted to utilize the 麻豆原创 Downtown Campus Shuttle to access classes on the Main Campus. The shuttle schedule and route information.

Short-term Housing Program Details

Short-term housing options will be available for students to check-in on Sunday, October 9, on a first come, first served basis. At this time, two options will be available to students through this program.

2 Week Temporary Housing

Check-In聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Sunday, October 9

Check-Out聽聽聽聽 Sunday, October 23

Rate:聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 $350 Total Cost to Student for Double Occupancy Room

4 Week Temporary Housing

Check-In聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Sunday, October 9

Check-Out聽聽聽聽 Sunday, November 6

Rate:聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 $700 Total Cost to Student for Double Occupancy Room

Temporary housing accommodations will be provided in a double occupancy hotel room. Students will have a roommate if participating in this program. Rooms will have a mini-fridge and access to laundry facilities on-site or nearby but will not have a kitchenette. Parking will be provided to residents. Pets are not permitted.

Students will be able to pair up with a roommate of their choice. If they do not have a preferred roommate, the student will be matched with a roommate by 麻豆原创鈥檚 Housing team.

Campus Shuttles

Hotels offered through 麻豆原创鈥檚 Temporary Housing program will be supported by 麻豆原创鈥檚 campus shuttle system beginning Monday, October 10.

Reserving Your Space

Students who want to sign-up for this program and reserve a space need to complete the T. 麻豆原创 Housing and Residence Life will reach out to students by Thursday afternoon with additional program details and next steps to finalize your temporary housing agreement.

Additional Questions

Any additional questions regarding the program can be submitted via the .

麻豆原创 staff are connecting 1:1 with students.

Students should have received an email and phone call from a 麻豆原创 staff member to discuss resources available to you.

麻豆原创 Care Services has notified your faculty members.

麻豆原创 Care Services has notified your faculty members that you have experienced significant hardship as a result of the impacts of Hurricane Ian and that you may miss class/classwork as a result of the ongoing situation. Please follow up with your faculty members as soon as you are able to discuss your absence.

麻豆原创 has set up an Academic Coaching Hotline to discuss options regarding academic challenges you may be facing as a result of the storm.

Students experiencing academic challenges due to the impacts of hurricane should contact Success Coaches who are here to provide you with guidance and support.聽 Please contact the 麻豆原创 Online Connect Center at 855-903-8576 if you鈥檇 like to talk about how we might facilitate and promote your success in the classroom, either on-line or face to face.

麻豆原创 is reviewing and processing requests for Student Emergency Fund Grants.

麻豆原创 staff are working to quickly review the request you may have submitted for emergency funds. You will be notified directly when that review is complete. That notification will include information regarding disbursement of funds.

麻豆原创 has been organizing housing alternatives for students who are looking for long- and short-term accommodations.

麻豆原创 has been working over the weekend to identify short- and long-term housing around our community that may provide alternatives for students in need of housing accommodations. Student housing communities in the surrounding area with immediate availability can be found online at 麻豆原创鈥檚 Off Campus Partners Page.

Later today, students impacted by the storm will be asked to complete a Housing Relocation Needs Survey so we can best direct our support to students based on your needs.

The 麻豆原创 Hurricane Ian Recovery Website has been updated to include additional resources for students.

The 麻豆原创 Hurricane Ian Recovery Website includes links to campus resources and Federal Assistance Programs. Several campus services are open today, including Student Health Services, the Student Union, the Library, the Recreation and Wellness Center, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) for triage and walk-in service, and several on campus dining establishments.

In support of these employees, 麻豆原创 is establishing the Hurricane Ian Disaster Leave Program. This program will allow us to provide impacted and eligible employees with additional leave to have time to address their recovery needs.

Instructions for Impacted Employees and their Supervisors

Eligible faculty and staff facing severe hardships may utilize up to 40 hours of Hurricane Ian Disaster Leave beginning Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022. The leave program will be in effect for 30 days, through Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. Employees do not need to exhaust current leave balances to be eligible for Hurricane Ian Disaster Leave.

1. Impacted employees should communicate directly with their supervisors regarding their ability to return to work and their need to utilize the hurricane leave program.
2. Supervisors can directly approve the employee鈥檚 requests via email based on the eligibility criteria guidance shared below.

Impacted employees and supervisors will receive additional instructions later this week on how to document disaster leave requests in Workday.

Eligibility Criteria and Leave Pool Guidelines

The program is available to employees who currently accrue annual and sick leave and for whom the disaster has caused severe hardship to the employee, or to their immediate family members, that requires them to be absent from work. Examples of severe hardship include displacement; the need to remediate flood damage to an employee鈥檚 or immediate family member鈥檚 home; loss of transportation due to flooding; inability to physically travel to campus due to road closures or obstructions; and/or inability to work or telework due to school or daycare closures.

If severe hardships continue during the 30-day period, additional hours may be available with approval from 麻豆原创 HR. HR will communicate information to impacted employees who may need to request additional hours due to severe hardship.

Hourly employees who are not eligible for paid time off may apply for financial assistance through the university鈥檚 Employee Emergency Relief Fund, which was created within the 麻豆原创 Foundation and is funded by donors and members of our community. Instructions how to apply for a grant from this program will be shared later this week.

Supporting the Disaster Leave Pool

Employees will be able to contribute accrued annual leave and sick hours to the disaster relief pool in support of their colleagues. Additionally, those who contributed leave to the COVID-19 Knights Care Leave Share program can choose to transfer those hours to this program. HR will share more information this week about how to donate and/or transfer hours to the new leave pool.

We appreciate how Knights are known for lifting one another up in times of need. Our 麻豆原创 community deeply cares for and supports each other, and those values must guide us in the coming weeks.

Visit /hurricane/ for additional resources. Questions about the Hurricane Ian Disaster Leave program should be directed to HRConnection@ucf.edu

Our hearts are with all the people, including members of our 麻豆原创 family and those across the state, who have experienced incredible losses due to the storm. Melinda and I extend our thoughts to these Knights and their loved ones and ask that our faculty and supervisors provide flexibility to those directly impacted by the storm as we reopen in the coming week. The impact is widespread, and we know the recovery will take time.

We know that the impact across our communities is disparate, and we are thankful that many areas have regained power and are recovering from the storm. We are also grateful for the dedication and professionalism shown by the teams across 麻豆原创 who prepared our campuses to weather the storm and who have supported our students, faculty and staff throughout — you have our community鈥檚 deepest gratitude.

As the university returns to normal operations, we must extend compassion to the students, faculty and staff who have suffered significant and, in some cases, catastrophic losses. That includes being flexible about academic and professional expectations as these members of our community continue to navigate the storm鈥檚 impact to their lives.

We ask that students impacted by the storm with聽outstanding needs contact Student Care Services by聽聽or emailing聽CareManager@ucf.edu. 麻豆原创 staff will continue to contact these students individually to provide resources and support as they navigate their recovery. All students also are encouraged to contact Counseling and Psychological Services鈥� crisis line at 407-823-2811 and press 5 if they need to speak with a therapist.

We ask that faculty and staff directly impacted by the storm communicate directly with their supervisors regarding their ability to return to work. Additional information will be communicated by Human Resources to employees and supervisors over the weekend.

For those who are looking to provide assistance, one immediate way is to donate any food and water you may have purchased for the storm and no longer need. You can drop off items at the Knights Pantry in Ferrell Commons and at donation bins set up across campus, which can be found under 鈥淢aps鈥� in the聽.

I appreciate how Knights are known for lifting one another up in times of need. Our 麻豆原创 community deeply cares for and supports each other, and those values must guide us in the coming weeks.

Resiliency and the use of technology are key in the work being done at 麻豆原创. Here鈥檚 a roundup of some of the many relevant research projects at 麻豆原创 and how they can potentially help residents in Florida and beyond.

Home Vulnerability

Public Administration Associate Professor Chris Emrich, in collaboration with researchers across several universities this year, developed an online tool homeowners can use to check how vulnerable their homes are to natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods. A score is generated based on public records about your home as well as scientific data about your geographical location. is free and available to the public now. It includes tips for reducing risks to your property based on the score your home generates.

The Power of Social Media

Claire Connolly Knox, an associate professor and founding director of the Master of Emergency and Crisis Management program, is working on two studies. One focuses on identifying cost-effective, climate-informed green infrastructure adaptations to reduce flood risk in Houston鈥檚 vulnerable and underserved communities. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has funded the project. She also recently completed a study looking at how Florida counties used social media as part of their emergency management before, during, and after Hurricane Irma.

For many Florida counties, Hurricane Irma in 2017 was the first time using social media during a disaster. She found that some agencies still don鈥檛 use social media as part of their communication strategy, some rely only on social media and the vast majority are somewhere in between. Rather than just using social media to push out information to communities, Knox and her team have found that some agencies are finding creative ways to gather information from citizens鈥� posts to better deploy help. She found several challenges, but many possibilities for empowering xcitizens and communities to provide critical information that could help better deploy emergency response resources during hurricane emergencies.

Predicting Traffic for Better Evacuations

Engineering Assistant Professor Samiul Hasan is looking for ways to better understand real-time individual, social and agency behavior during evacuations caused by rapidly intensifying hurricanes (RIH).

These kinds of hurricanes quickly intensify making critical infrastructure management and smooth evacuations more challenging. Hasan and the rest of the research team are analyzing the 鈥渄ynamics of risk information processing and decision making to inform the design, development, improvisation, and overall evacuation management for critical transportation infrastructure. The insights from the research are expected to help facilitate safer evacuations and more efficiently organize risk-averting behaviors during RIH,鈥� the researchers say of the U.S. National Science Foundation-funded project that is expected to wrap up in 2023. Hasan also is studying how real-time data from roadway systems and social media can help predict traffic demand during hurricane evacuations. Hasan used data from hurricanes Matthew, and Irma.

Reducing Crashes During Evacuation Rush

Rezaur Rahman 鈥�19MS 鈥�21PhD, a former doctoral student in Hasan鈥檚 lab, also investigated how we might reduce the number of crashes on the roadways during stressful evacuation times. In his study, published last year, he evaluated the safety impact of Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) systems during a hurricane evacuation. The team developed a microscopic simulation model of evacuation traffic and calibrated it using traffic data from an almost 10-mile stretch of I-75 between Ocala and Gainesville, Florida, during Hurricane Irma鈥檚 evacuation period. Rahman鈥檚 model found that by using cruise control crashes could potentially be reduced by almost 50 percent, and travel time improves despite heavy stop-and-go traffic. The SAFER-SIM University Transportation Center, a consortium of 聽various universities including 麻豆原创, supported this study.

Hurricanes and Sea Level Rise

Engineering Assistant Professor Thomas Wahl and his team are working on a new method to determine where extreme events, like 100-year storm floods, are more likely to occur, whether the likelihood of such extremes is changing over time, and why.

These projects are but a snapshot of the research that goes on at 麻豆原创 to help people and communities be better prepared for hurricanes. As the work continues, new findings will be shared with the public, policymakers, and emergency managers to help ensure we stay resilient during hurricane season.

While it is difficult to think about the impact of a hurricane in the time of COVID-19, this is a possibility we all must be prepared for, and teams from 麻豆原创 plan for hurricane season year-round.

It鈥檚 always a good idea to have a hurricane kit ready for the season, which lasts through November. Include enough food and water for three days, and don鈥檛 forget medications, identification and a weather radio.

The 麻豆原创 Alert text and email message system will be used to keep the university community notified of severe weather threats. All students and employees are automatically signed up to receive these messages, and settings can be updated via .

Additionally, updates will be shared on 麻豆原创鈥檚 official social media channels and at聽ucf.edu. Let鈥檚 each do our part by staying aware and prepared, and together, we鈥檒l make 麻豆原创 a safer place for all of us.