Staying Safe: Your Guide to UCF Hurricane Preparedness

Hurricanes are a reality for those living in Central Florida, and being prepared is essential for ensuring safety and minimizing potential disruptions. The University of Central Florida (UCF) takes hurricane preparedness seriously, with dedicated teams and comprehensive plans in place. This guide provides essential information for UCF students, faculty, and staff to navigate hurricane season effectively.

UCF's Commitment to Safety

UCF’s Emergency Management team actively works year-round to prevent, prepare for, manage, and recover from a variety of threats to UCF, including severe weather events like hurricanes. In the event of a serious storm or hurricane threatening the region, both Florida's Governor and UCF's President have the authority to cancel classes or close campuses to ensure the safety of the community.

Staying Informed: UCF Alert

UCF utilizes a comprehensive alert system to keep the community informed during emergencies. To receive timely updates and instructions, students, faculty, and staff should:

Log on to UCF Alert using your NID and password via getrave.com/login/ucf.
Ensure your contact information is up-to-date in the system.
Monitor ucf.edu/hurricane and UCF's official social media channels for the latest information.

All students and employees are automatically signed up to receive these messages, and settings can be updated via myUCF. In the event of a storm, UCF will provide communication with instructions on closures, depending on the weather conditions pre- and post-hurricanes. Our priority it to keep you safe.

Personal Preparedness: Hurricane Safety Kits and Plans

UCF encourages students and employees to proactively prepare for hurricane season by creating personal hurricane safety kits and developing emergency plans with loved ones.

Building a Hurricane Safety Kit

Your hurricane kit should provide enough essentials to survive at least three days. Essential items to include:

Water: Aim for at least one gallon of water per person per day for seven days. Pick up an extra gallon of water every time you go to the grocery store until you have 7 gallons per person.
Food: Stock up on non-perishable foods that are full of protein, like peanut butter.
Storage: Get 5-gallon buckets with fitted lids from Home Depot, Walmart or similar stores. These are great for storing electronics, batteries, chargers, important documents, medicines and food.
First-aid supplies: Include a well-stocked first-aid kit with necessary medications.
Flashlight and batteries: Essential for navigating power outages.
Personal hygiene items: Toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, hand sanitizer, etc.
Important documents: Keep copies of important documents in a waterproof bag.
Cash: ATMs may be unavailable during power outages.
Activities: Bring a book, game or other activity to keep yourself busy.
Emergency Supplies: UCF encourages you to remember that Knights Pantry is available to take donations of any extra, unneeded hurricane supplies. Knights Pantry relies on the support of the UCF community to provide food, toiletries, and clothing to students in need.

Creating a Family Emergency Plan

Communication: Be sure to notify your family where you are staying and that you are safe. Remind them that we could lose cell phone service and access to local phones in the Central Florida area.
Meeting Point: Make an evacuation plan. Make sure you and everyone in your family knows where to meet in case anyone gets separated. Talk through the plan often so everyone is on the same page. DO NOT wait until an evacuation order is issued to create a plan.
Emergency Notifications: Turn on emergency notifications on your mobile devices. Based on your location, new warning systems can send messages with weather updates, alerts and other useful information. These alerts can be more up-to-date than newscasts, so you should trust them for the most accurate information.
Designated Shelter Area: Establish a designated shelter area where you’ll keep emergency supplies in your home so you’re not scrambling around to find them. Do not raid your supplies once you have them ready.

Pet Preparedness

Planning for pets is also important. Emergency kits can make all the difference for riding out a storm.

Communicating with Children

Communicating with children about disasters can help alleviate stress.

Protecting Your Belongings

Taking proactive steps to protect your personal belongings is crucial.

For UCF Housing Residents:

Take measures to protect personal possessions that are left behind. The university is not responsible for loss or damage of UCF Housing residents’ possessions.
Shut off all computers and save any important items.
Lock all doors when occupants are not in the room or apartment.
Any resident who owns a car should take measures to protect it. If you have a valid UCF parking permit, you may park your vehicle in either parking garage A or B to allow for adequate protection.
Review your insurance coverage to understand what is protected in the event of damage.

For Faculty and Staff:

Faculty and staff should ensure their work space is protected and secure.
It is highly recommended to bring personal belongings home with you in case your building or office sustains damage.
If your office is student-serving, be sure to have signage indicating the space is closed and set phones as out-of-office.

What to Do When a Hurricane Threatens

When a hurricane threatens Central Florida, it is essential to stay informed and follow official instructions.

Understanding UCF Closure Policies

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright have the authority to cancel classes or close campuses.
UCF will communicate closure information through UCF Alert, the UCF website, and social media channels.
Pay close attention to these announcements and adhere to all instructions.

If You Choose to Stay on Campus

While UCF Housing will remain open for residents who have no other place to go, students who choose to stay in their residence halls will not be permitted to leave their buildings during the storm.
Students who remain will be responsible for their own personal safety and comfort - UCF Housing staff and police and medical services may not be available during the storm, and we cannot guarantee electricity, water, wi-fi and food.
Guests are not permitted in UCF Housing. All violators will be referred to Student Conduct and Academic Integrity.
If you are moving to a shelter or ride-out location, you should be prepared to to be there for several days while the storm passes. Bring essential personal belongings and a book, game or other activity to keep yourself busy.

Academic Considerations

Supporting our students’ success during these challenging circumstances remains critical.
Any assignments or exams originally scheduled during the emergency closure should be postponed until normal operations resume.
Faculty are encouraged to be understanding of students’ need to prioritize their personal safety.
All academic assignments and exams, including for all classes with online components, remain suspended until Monday.
Some students may struggle with returning to academics on Monday.

Research Considerations

For research faculty, labs will be inaccessible after noon on Tuesday. This is to allow Facilities time to sandbag and secure buildings to prevent water intrusion during the storm.
Research faculty will have access to their labs through noon Tuesday.

Hurricane Season Facts

Hurricane season begins in June and continues through November, with Florida at risk every year.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts a 60% chance of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season being above normal.
Hurricanes are large storms that produce fast winds and heavy rain.
Hurricanes can produce heavy flooding and lead to power outages and other hazardous damage.

Expert Advice

UCF Professor and natural disaster expert Chris Emrich shares do’s and don’t’s for the current hurricane season. An expert in hazard science, social vulnerability, disaster recovery and community resiliency, Emrich has plenty of experience with hurricanes. He’s worked with FEMA and other federal agencies to identify vulnerabilities in communities affected by hurricanes and to develop resiliency strategies.

Hurricane "Do's"

Get flood insurance. If you do not live in a flood zone the average cost is $660 a year for $250,000 worth of coverage.
Start preparing as early as possible.
Make an evacuation plan.
Turn on emergency notifications on your mobile devices.

Hurricane "Don'ts"

Do not raid your supplies once you have them ready.
Don’t think you know more than weather experts.
Don’t bother taping up your windows because it doesn’t reduce the risk of them blowing out. This is especially true for people living apartments.
Don’t drive through flooded streets, even if you’re very familiar with the street. A few inches of water can move a vehicle.

Post-Hurricane Resources

After a hurricane, it's important to be aware of available resources.

Business Assistance:

If your business has been damaged in a hurricane, please take the Business Damage Assessment. The information provided in this survey will be shared among various state and local agencies to expedite implementation of appropriate disaster relief programs for businesses. This survey assists the State with determining if relief services for businesses should be activated.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management has created a webpage that outlines the types of assistance that may be available for businesses after a hurricane.
The Consumer Protection Coalition urge you to be on the lookout for unscrupulous home repair vendors and trial attorneys that try to profit off the disaster by asking you to sign an Assignment of Benefits (AOB). Remember, consumers do not need to sign an AOB to get storm-related repairs.

Small Business Administration Disaster Loans:

Small Business Administration: Broward, Charlotte, Clay, Collier, Duval, Flagler, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Putnam, Sarasota, Saint Johns.
Small businesses and most private nonprofit organizations in the following adjacent counties are eligible to apply only for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans: Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Desoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Marion, Martin, Nassau, Okeechobee, Pasco, Polk, Volusia.

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