Hurricane Irma

and how the University of 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 speeds of 185 mph or greater and it maintained those winds for 37 hours, the longest on record. ()

• Started as a 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 – 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 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