Members of the campus community:
We continue to watch carefully Hurricane Florence. While there is still some uncertainty
regarding its direction, the most recent projections have the hurricane moving northwest,
toward Wilmington, North Carolina. Nevertheless, parts of South Carolina are still
expected to be impacted by this powerful storm, particularly the coast.
Winthrop continues to participate in meetings with York County's Emergency Operations
Center to receive the most updated weather information.
Based on the current forecast, Winthrop University will conduct business as usual.
We will continue monitoring the weather reports and will make you aware of any changes
to our daily operations if the situation arises.
Two days ago, Governor Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency for South Carolina
and today ordered Lowcountry residents to begin evacuating by noon tomorrow. The
governor will continue to report on Hurricane Florence, and we will inform you of
any developments that affect Winthrop. The best way to receive emergency information
is through our WU Alert system. If you have not signed up for WU Alert, you can do
so at: https://apps.winthrop.edu/cellphone
We understand that you may have family and friends living in areas being evacuated,
but we strongly urge you NOT to travel to these areas. You will likely face lane
direction reversals and road closings, as well as add to already heavy evacuation
traffic. You may also end up in a location where returning to campus will be difficult.
We will provide another update tomorrow no later than 2 p.m.
Sincerely,
Dan
