Hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. During this time, SPC officials closely monitor Pinellas County Emergency Management bulletins and official weather forecasts when SPC falls within the National Hurricane Center’s zone of landfall probability. By doing so, SPC will have time to activate the college’s Emergency Management Plan, alert campus personnel, recommend protective actions, including evacuations, and communicate emergency notifications.
To prepare, you should:
- Check with your supervisor for SPC’s emergency procedures for your department.
- Read the Emergency Response procedures for weather emergencies.
- Update your personal Emergency Cell and Text options in MySPC to be sure you receive official college communications during storms.
- Review your personal hurricane plan.
Types of messages
Emergency communications during hurricane season could include:
- Recommended actions to take when the college is monitoring a storm
- Recommended actions to take when the college is preparing for a storm
- What to do when an evacuation is ordered
- Ways to stay in touch with the college during a storm
- When the college anticipates reopening
- What to do if the college is closed for an extended period
In the event of a closure, campuses will reopen only after the college damage assessment and recovery teams have surveyed the damage and re-powered critical systems.
Information regarding re-openings will be provided through:
- this blog
- the college toll-free number: 866-822-3978
- SPC e-mail
- local media outlets.
The college president has authority to close the college or cancel classes. The college is required to close when an official state or local governmental agency issues a mandatory evacuation order for Pinellas County. Beginning in 2010, the evacuation zones for 73,000 property parcels in Pinellas County changed because of new ways of collecting storm data.