UF announced all classes will be canceled Wednesday through Friday ahead of Hurricane Ian’s arrival in a Monday night alert. The cancellation includes online classes.
An update on other university operations and Family Weekend activities will be made by
Tuesday evening, UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan wrote in an email.
The Alachua County Commission has declared a local state of emergency ahead of Hurricane Ian’s arrival. Effects are expected to be felt in Alachua County as early as Wednesday.
The county hasn’t been put under a tropical storm watch, as of 8:00 p.m. Monday. Other regions in Florida like Tampa Bay has been under hurricane watch since 11 a.m. Monday.
Alachua County will be opening emergency shelters for the general population and special needs shelters tomorrow. Pet-friendly shelters will also be available, according to a Monday Alachua County press release.
The press release said residents will be able to get sandbags to mitigate flooding at Wayside Park, located at 11855 NW US 41 starting at 7:30 p.m. There’s a limit of 10 bags per person.
Gainesville Regional Utilities reminded customers not to run a generator inside of their homes, including the garage, which could lead to suffocation. Customers shouldn’t plug them directly into a home's main electrical system because that could lead to electrocution hazards.
Customers should set up generators outside in well-ventilated areas, GRU said. They also reaffirmed customers connecting individual appliances directly to generators.
GRU advised residents to have a complete emergency kit consisting of first aid supplies, a battery-powered radio, tarps, batteries and flashlights. They also recommended having a three-day supply of prescribed medicine, baby food, diapers, pet food, canned food and drinking water for those who need it.
Filling bottles or jugs with tap water is also recommended.
Contact Fernando at ffigueroa@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @fernfigue.
Fern is a junior journalism and sustainability studies major. He previously reported for the University and Metro desks. Now, he covers the environmental beat on the Enterprise desk. When he's not reporting, you can find him dancing to house music at Barcade or taking photos on his Olympus.
