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President McGuire issued the following message to the Trinity community today regarding preparation for Hurricane Irene and general information regarding emergency plans at Trinity.

TO:  The Trinity Community
FROM:  President Pat McGuire
RE:  Preparing for Hurricane Irene and General Information Regarding Emergency Plans at Trinity
DATE:  August 25, 2011

In anticipation of Hurricane Irene brushing the east coast this weekend, this message is a general reminder to the Trinity community of our emergency plans, communication methods and preparation steps that you can take to be ready for the consequences of severe weather.

Based on the most recent forecasts, the most likely effects of the hurricane for our immediate campus vicinity will be heavy rains and perhaps some high winds from time to time.  As a consequence, we are preparing for the likelihood of power outages, which often accompany severe storms in this region, and excessive storm water management.  Flash floods may impact area roads and transportation, but we do not expect flooding on campus or any other kind of problem other than lots of rain and possible power loss.

We urge everyone, especially campus residents, to be sure you have flashlights/lanterns and batteries in case of a power outage.  We maintain supplies of extra bottled water and food on campus in case of emergencies, but we also advise residents to have their own emergency kits with extra water and non-perishable food items.  Resident students who need medications should also be sure you have enough with you for several days.  Of course, in emergencies and as always, Trinity’s terrific staff teams in Residence Life, Dining Services, Facilities and Campus Safety are here 24/7 and ready to help our resident students in just about any way possible.  They’re experts, having been through several previous hurricanes (Katrina, Isabel), blizzards, routine power outages, and most recently, the earthquake!!

As of now, weekend classes and activities will proceed as scheduled.  We will announce closings, if necessary, closer to the events.  We communicate with the Trinity community about weather closings and other emergencies in several ways:

1.  Text messages:  you can get instant alerts on your cell phones by texting “Follow trinitydcalerts” to 40404.

2.  Emergency Hotline:  you can call 202-884-9009 to get Trinity’s status at any time.

3.  Email:  we send blast emails to everyone with announcements and updates throughout the emergencies.

4.  Voicemail:  we also send blast voicemail messages to all voicemailboxes.

5.  Website:  weather and emergency announcements appear in a red band at the top of the website.

6.  Radio/Television:  we send closing and status announcements to all area radio and television stations.

7.  Facebook:  Trinity’s facebook page also will have periodic updates (the page is Trinity Washington University).

8.  Twitter:  stay abreast of the conversation @trinitydc and @trinityprez.

A few special notes:

Faculty:  you have received a separate set of instructions from Provost Broaddus concerning protocols and notices if you have to cancel your individual classes.

THEARC:  Trinity’s classes at THEARC are always cancelled if Trinity’s main campus is closed or if our main campus classes are cancelled.

Nursing:  clinical students receive separate instructions from your faculty about proceeding with clinicals even if Trinity is closed.

Trinity Center:  the Trinity Center is closed when Trinity’s campus is closed.
 
Please read Trinity’s complete advisory on weather emergencies with links to our comprehensive emergency plan.