<p>As University facilities staff and other employees began to prepare the Brown campus for high winds and heavy rain expected with Hurricane Irene this weekend, the University sent the following message to all members of the campus community.</p>

August 25, 2011

Dear Brown Faculty and Staff,

I am writing to provide information regarding Hurricane Irene, which is currently projected to affect Rhode Island over the course of the upcoming weekend and possibly into Monday, August 29. We have been monitoring the storm’s development closely all week, and will continue to do so. Although it is still too early to have any degree of certainty about the hurricane’s track and intensity when it reaches New England, this is a significant hurricane and we can anticipate storm impact, including heavy rainfall, high winds and flooding, in our area.

The University has a well-established Hurricane Plan that we encourage all members of the community to review. The Core Crisis team convened today to review the plan, the latest forecasts, and preparedness efforts underway in Facilities Management, Dining Services, Residential Life and other departments. In addition to reviewing the Hurricane Plan, which includes information about Family Preparedness that is especially useful for faculty and staff to review regarding steps you should take now to ensure your own personal home preparedness, we encourage all community members to take the following steps:

  • Pay close attention to news and forecasts regarding Hurricane Irene over the next several days, especially if you have travel plans. Information the University community needs to be aware of will be communicated via e-mail, on the home page, and, in the unlikely event of urgent emergency information, via the BrownAlert emergency notification system. In making plans for the weekend, be prepared to be flexible and, in particular, able to seek shelter indoors during periods of heavy rain and high winds.
  • If you have not already done so, make certain your emergency contact information — personal cell phone and home or off-campus housing telephone numbers — is up-to-date so that we can contact you as quickly as possible in the event of an emergency. Phone numbers can be added, updated or changed by going to the MyAccount page.
  • Students planning to travel away from campus this weekend should make sure a family member, roommate, or friend is aware of your itinerary, expected return, and how to reach you. Faculty and staff with travel plans may wish to do the same.
  • Before leaving your office, laboratory, or residence hall room on Friday, please ensure that all windows, including storm windows, are completely closed and locked to protect against damage from possible water intrusion. Relocate valuable property away from windows, elevate boxes/equipment, where possible, that are stored on the floor, and notify Facilities Management at 863-7800 as soon as possible if there are any deficiencies that prevent windows and or exterior doors from properly closing and securing.
  • Forecasts anticipate very rough surf, beach erosion, and the high risk of dangerous rip currents throughout the Southern New England coast through the weekend. Be very cautious if your weekend plans involve travel to Rhode Island or Southeastern Massachusetts beaches.

We will provide updates and new information as necessary over the coming days. Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Sincerely,

Russell C. Carey
Senior Vice President, Corporation Affairs and Governance
Chief Risk Officer