Photo courtesy of Photo courtesy of the National Hurricane Center
By Mahika Kukday
Students living at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg are rushing to get their affairs in order, in compliance with a mandatory evacuation order issued Tuesday afternoon ahead of impacts from Tropical Storm Helene.
Helene, which is anticipated to become a major hurricane, is forecast to arrive along Florida’s Gulf Coast early Thursday. The latest models position the storm making landfall near the state’s Big Bend region, but effects are likely to be felt through the Panhandle and here in Tampa Bay.
Additionally, USF St. Petersburg students were told in an email from campus housing at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday that they must evacuate by 10 a.m. Wednesday.
The City of St. Petersburg said in a statement that Tampa Bay could expect 5 to 8 ft. of storm surge. They predict that the impacts will be more long-lasting than those of Hurricane Idalia.
For some students, this is an annual trend of much shorter notice than expected.
“Past years have honestly been very similar to this year, where there’s a lot of confusion and uncertainty about what’s going to happen,” said Ayslin Edwards, a senior environmental science and Spanish double major, who has also had to evacuate every year since she started at USF St. Petersburg in fall 2021.
She expressed frustration at the university’s annual delayed response, stating that it may be “anxiety-inducing” for those who are solely dependent on official instructions, such as international students or those without a car.
“It seems as though the university tends to wait on what Tampa says, however for St. Petersburg students I feel like the response has to be different because we are more vulnerable,” Edwards said, stressing on the urgency of evacuating the waterfront campus first.
According to a student employee, some events and programming were being cancelled internally, before the university-wide evacuation notice was sent out.
Additionally, early emails from housing used language that strongly hinted towards an evacuation, such as “I really need an accurate account of who would need assistance in evacuating campus” hours before the official order.
And while Edwards is grateful that she has immediate family in Jacksonville, she mentioned that bridges connecting to St. Petersburg close soon after sustaining winds of 35 to 40 m.p.h., which isn’t that high a limit for a hurricane.
Some students, like Edwards, may only have to drive a couple hours to get home, but others may not have a local safe space.
“It’s usually the night before [that they mandate evacuation]. I can still manage to pack everything, but it would be better if they gave me more [notice],” said Duy Do, a senior majoring in graphic arts.
For residential students who don’t have anywhere to go on short notice, USF St. Petersburg organizes busses that take them to shelter at USF Tampa. As an international student from Vietnam, Do has joined them for all three hurricane evacuations he’s had to do in his time at the university.
Last year, Hurricane Idalia was set to make landfall in Tampa Bay on Wednesday, Aug. 30. USF St. Petersburg housing sent students official communication at 5:01 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 28 informing them that all residence halls would be closed as of 8 a.m. the next day.
The same email also gave students a deadline of 8:00 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 28 to confirm their space if they were to shelter at USF Tampa.
So, students were given three hours to make a decision.
In today’s email, they were given five and a half hours.
“We usually stay in a big room with a lot of people, and we have mattresses and sleeping bags,” Do said.
He said it’s convenient to eat at Juniper Hall during their stay, and that he appreciated that the university provides blankets, pillows and even additional free food sometimes.
Do’s only complaint was how last-minute the university directive came every year.
“The notice has been really interesting, especially how USF handles storms,” said senior environmental science and policy major Oliver Laczko. “I can see that we’re going to start feeling it around Thursday morning, that’s like 24 to 36 hours away.”
Laczko worries about how instances of severe weather are going to become increasingly common with water temperatures rising worldwide.
And since it happens every year, Laczko said he’s not sure of the reason behind USF St. Petersburg’s delayed warning.
“It’s very interesting because [Florida State University] has closed their campus, they’re all the way up in Tallahassee,” Laczko said.
He speculated that perhaps USF was waiting on an official evacuation notice from Pinellas County. Laczko thought a university order might come on Wednesday morning, as he acknowledged the extensive efforts of campus facilities, the University Police Department and other personnel who work hard to keep the flood-prone St. Petersburg campus safe.
The Tampa Bay Times reported on the timeline for how some local schools, counties and universities reacted on Tue. Sept. 24 to the impending hurricane.
- 10a.m. – Eckerd College announced St. Petersburg campus evacuation for Wednesday morning.
- 10:05 a.m. – Hernando County announced school closures on Wednesday and Thursday.
- 10:45 a.m. – Pinellas County followed suit, closing offices and schools on Wednesday and Thursday
- 11:45 a.m. – Hillsborough schools closing on Wednesday and Thursday.
- 1:20 p.m. – FSU’s Tallahassee campus announced Wednesday morning closure, in effect until 12 a.m. on Monday. Florida A&M closed at noon today and won’t reopen until Friday.
- 2:20 p.m. – Pinellas County issued mandatory evacuation of long-term healthcare facilities, and urged residents to stay alert.
USF St. Petersburg’s announcement came five and a half hours after Eckerd.
While students are appreciative of the support and services that the university provides them with during difficult times, they expressed a desire for more effective communication.
For guidance on how to stay safe during such severe weather, students can refer to the official USF Hurricane Guide. The National Hurricane Center is tracking the progress of Tropical Storm Helene, and the Tampa Bay Times is reporting continued live updates on local responses and more.
Students are also encouraged to follow local meteorologists and live reports from Bay News 9, 10 Tampa Bay, WFLA, Fox 13 and ABC Action News.
