Santa Fe College President Paul Broadie II wrote that the college will close Thursday and Friday because of Hurricane Helene, according to a statement posted Wednesday on Santa Fe’s Alerts website.
Helene is expected to bring strong tropical storm and hurricane-force winds as well as heavy rain and the possibility of tornadoes, according to a Wednesday Santa Fe news release.
“I encourage everyone to monitor the National Hurricane Center website for all official information,” Broadie wrote. “The college’s Emergency Management Team will continue to meet during the storm and will make recommendations based on conditions as to when we will be able to reopen…the SF Alerts webpage will post official information from the college about the storm and our plans to reopen.”
Santa Fe employees are encouraged to remove perishable food from refrigerators, bring outside signs inside and park golf carts close to buildings, Broadie wrote. Supervisors should take with them an updated employee contact list.
Jay Anderson, a Santa Fe College spokesperson, wrote in a text message that the college will be closed Thursday and Friday due to the time needed to assess potential damages to its Northwest campus and centers in Alachua and Bradford counties.
“Also, because SF does not have dorms, our students will be traveling on potentially damaged roadways to get to the college,” he wrote.
Santa Fe’s next update on Hurricane Helene will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Updates will be posted on the Santa Fe Alerts webpage.
UF will close on Thursday and reopen Friday, according to a UF news release.
Contact Timothy Wang at twang@alligator.org. Follow him on X @timothyw_g.
Timothy Wang is a junior journalism student and the Fall 2024 Santa Fe College Reporter. He was the University Administration reporter for Summer 2024. His hobbies include gaming or reading manga.
