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Hurricane Irma and How the University of Miami Opened a Shelter for Sixty

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Hurricane Irma and How the University of Miami Opened a Shelter for Sixty Hurricane Irma and how the University of Miami Opened a Shelter for Sixty Students Richard J. Kenney, Associate Director March 20th, 2018 – ACCED-I Irma in a nutshell Irma is one of only five hurricanes that have reached maximum sustained wind speeds of 185 mph or greater and it maintained those winds for 37 hours, the longest on record. (The Weather Channel) • Started as a tropical wave off coast of Africa. • Tropical Storm on August 30th (2 weeks after move-in). • Hurricane status of August 31st. • Tied for longest lifespan as a CAT5 in the Atlantic Basin • Two landfalls – Sept. 10 in the Keys, and one near Marco Island. https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/hurricane-tropical-storm-irma-recap-2017#/! Timeline • August 5th – UM closes its’ conference season • August 14th – New students begin move-in • August 16th – Orientation begins • August 30th – TS Irma • August 31st – Hurricane Irma forms • September 4th – Crisis Decision Team meets (5:45pm) • September 4th – Advisory sent (7:30pm) • September 5th – Closure Announcement made • September 6th - Evacuations begin (7:00am) • September 9th – Remaining students moved to shelter • September 10th – Impacts begin • September 11th – TS winds cease • September 12th – Clean up begins • September 18th – Essential Staff and Shelter Students Return • September 20th – Remaining Staff return to work • September 25th – Classes Resume Action Plan The University of Miami has a comprehensive emergency plan that is reviewed annually prior to hurricane season. • Important notes – the plan had never been put into action. • The shelter process was hypothetical • Coral Gables had the evacuation zones redone in 2015 to correlate with storm surge zones • UM now needed to evacuate for most storms over CAT3 • Crisis Decision Team is mostly senior leaders • Plan can be found here: https://prepare.miami.edu/before- emergency/hurricane-preparedness/index.html Action Plan As soon as closure was announced, our team sprung into action. • Shuttles booked to run students from campus to MIA and FTL airports • AA and JetBlue contacted for flights • 4200 residential students evacuated • Left with 100 students… • 60 by the time the sun came up on the 9th Action Plan Shelter Opens – all hands on deck • Registration • Waivers • Set up • Showers • Bathrooms • Staffing structures (Alpha/Bravo shifts) Action Plan Day 2-4 – Hunker down and ride it out • Board games • USB fans • Battery packs • Hot food • Staff • Cots, blankets, pillows Action Plan Day 5 – Shelter closes • Pack it up and move to the Alumni Center… • Just kidding – our AVP got the remaining 35 students rooms at a hotel • (25 students were off-campus and went back to their apartments) Aftermath While Irma was not a direct hit, Miami suffered major storm surge in areas, the Keys were devastated, and many were without power for 5-15 days. • Collapsed cranes in downtown Miami • Power loss • Flooding • Campus damage was mostly landscaping • 100 rooms with water damage Aftermath While Irma was not a direct hit, Miami suffered major storm surge in areas, the Keys were devastated, and many were without power for 5-15 days. • Collapsed cranes in downtown Miami • Power loss • Flooding • Campus damage was mostly landscaping • 100 rooms with water damage Recovery Facilities Management brought in disaster recovery teams as soon as it was safe • 75% of campus roadways and pathways were impassable • 9 days for power restoration • 12,000 cubic yards of debris • Sewage lift plant damaged • 100 rooms with water damage Successes Safety, Communication, and Cooperation • Early decision making by senior leaders to close campus • Centralized communication was key to the success • 98% of residential students self-evacuated • Selfless acts to make sure students were cared for before, during, and after What if it was conference participants Hurricane Season is June 1 – November 30 • 6 weeks earlier and it would have been conference guests • Decide now what your plans are • What will you do if a storm is coming • Who will you contact • How will guests get out Parting words Have a plan • Make sure you have a plan • Talk with your Office of Emergency Management • Check your contracts for force majeure clauses, get one in there • Be a team – understand it is stressful for everyone • Do not go through it alone! Hurricane Irma and how the University of Miami Opened a Shelter for Sixty Students Office of Conference Services February 16, 2018.
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