UF and Gainesville officials are bracing for flooding and strong winds as the first hurricane to hit Florida in more than a decade arrives.
As of press time, Hurricane Hermine is expected to hit late Thursday or early Friday near Apalachicola, Florida, according to the National Weather Service. Wind gusts as high as 60 mph and up to six inches of rain are predicted.
On Thursday, UF and Santa Fe College canceled classes at 4 p.m. Both colleges and Alachua County Public Schools canceled Friday classes.
Gainesville’s Regional Transit System reduced the number of buses Thursday. When winds reach 35 mph or more, the buses will stop completely.
University Police and essential personnel will be on UF’s campus during the storm, according to a UF Housing email. UF placed sandbags near Keys Residential Complex to prevent flooding.
UF’s dining halls closed Thursday night and will reopen Friday when it is safe, according to the email. The Field and Fork Food Pantry will not hand out food during the storm, Ambre Hobson, an assistant director of student success in the Dean of Students Office, wrote in an email.
For Gainesville residents, shelters will have food and water, but residents are responsible for bringing food and bedding, said Alachua County spokesman Mark Sexton.
Three emergency shelters opened Thursday and will stay open as long as needed, he said. To check availability, call 352-264-6500.
Eastside High School, 1201 SE 43rd St., and Easton Newberry Sports Complex, 24880 NW 16th Ave., are open to the public for those concerned about flooding, those living in a mobile home and those who are homeless.
The Senior Recreation Center a special-needs shelter located at 5701 NW 34th Blvd., will have cots, nurses and medical equipment.
“We tell people to hope for the best but prepare for the worst,” Sexton said. “Folks need to just remember that they live in Florida, and these storms come through.”
At Dignity Village, a tent city near Grace Marketplace, people were reluctant to leave.
Peter Dannenhoffer and his tent-mate, Vietnam veteran Mick Burnette, planned to flatten down their tent, throw ropes on top and secure it with sandbags. They said they’re hoping for the best.
Having lived at Dignity Village for about a year, they don’t want to leave their belongings behind. But Dannenhoffer worries about what will happen to the village if winds reach 35 mph.
“It’ll be torn to pieces,” Dannenhoffer said.
At Grace Marketplace, the staff prepared for the worst.
Jon DeCarmine, the operations director, said they have about 200 beds ready at the shelter.
Grace Marketplace is usually open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., but gates will stay open during the storm. DeCarmine said he expects people to come when bad weather hits, and the staff will be ready.
“There’s no point at which they can’t come in,” he said.
During a press conference Thursday, emergency management coordinator David McIntire said residents should secure outside debris to prevent more damage.
By Thursday afternoon, city employees had handed out more than 3,200 sandbags, just one way Gainesville helped people prepare.
“All departments are working together to provide a rapid response to the storm,” he said. “This is not a storm we are taking lightly.”
Willie Young throws a sandbag into a truck at the City of Gainesville’s Public Works Department. The city provided up to 10 sandbags a car on Wednesday and Thursday to prepare for Hurricane Hermine.
