Hurricane Nicole: Post-Storm Update

Plan for Return to Normal Campus Operations

Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, 2:32 p.m.

The assessment for storm damage has been completed and Flagler College sustained minimal damage. Therefore, student areas on campus will begin to reopen tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 12.

Saturday, Nov. 12

The Proctor Library and Ringhaver Student Center will reopen and return to normal operations with the following weekend hours.

• Proctor Library: Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday
• Ringhaver Student Center: Open 10 a.m. to midnight on Saturday and Sunday; the Bistro will remain closed until Monday

Residence halls remain open for students and the shelter-in-place has been lifted.

The Dining Hall has resumed normal dining hours.

Monday, Nov. 14

Campus returns to normal operations and classes resume in person.

• Academic buildings 7:30 a.m.
• Learning Resource Center 8 a.m.
• Counseling Center 8 a.m.
• Health Services 7 a.m.
• Bistro 7 a.m.
• POD 10 a.m.
• Campus offices 8 a.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 15

Class registration will be pushed back by one day this week to accommodate students impacted by the storm who may need additional time to return to campus before registration opens, or to connect with their advisor for registration clearance. Students scheduled to register this week will receive an email from the CACE office with their updated registration day and time and the revised schedule is listed below. Students impacted by the storm who are unable to register on their assigned day and time can contact CACE@flagler.edu for assistance.

To align with the revised registration dates, spring tuition statements, currently scheduled to post on Wednesday, November 16th will now post on Thursday, Nov. 17. Students can view and pay their bill through the online payment site by logging into MyFlagler and following the instructions in the payment information section of the homepage. Questions about billing or payments should be directed to studentaccounts@flagler.edu.

Storm Resources

For students, staff and faculty still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Nicole, below are resources and information to assist you during this time.

Information for students

• Counseling - The Counseling Center is available for virtual appointments to help students navigate through this challenging time. Individual appointments can be made by reaching out to the Counseling Center at counseling@flagler.edu.
• Emergency Relief Fund - The emergency relief fund can help students and employees who are in need of food, transportation, etc. due to the storm.
• Students can complete an application by reaching out to Financial Aid at financialaid@flagler.edu.
• Employees can complete an application by reaching out to Shari Stanford at sstanford@flagler.edu.

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Post-Storm Update

Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, 9:20 a.m.

Yesterday evening, power was restored to all campus buildings. The residence halls remain open and the shelter-in-place is now lifted. The Dining Hall has returned to normal operating hours, but the Bistro and POD remain closed until Monday, Nov. 14.

All other buildings across the College will remain closed and campus operations are remote today. Only essential personnel identified for the storm are permitted on campus. Normal campus operations, including a return to in-person classes, will resume on Monday.

While a detailed assessment is underway, several spaces were regularly monitored during the hurricane.

The Ponce weathered the storm with minimal water in its breezeway. There were office buildings in low-lying areas that did sustain water damage. The facilities team will do initial remediation for the impacted areas and directly notify any areas that received damage.

The residence halls fared well, but there were incidents of windows leaking during the storm and some standing water in a stairwell. Students who need to report damage to their rooms should complete a maintenance request form.

Submit a maintenance request form

An update on campus operations will follow after the assessment has been completed.

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Update on Hurricane Nicole

Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, 5:35 p.m.

While Hurricane Nicole has passed through the area, Flagler College is continuing to weather its impact. After a preliminary assessment of our grounds, it appears the campus took on minor flooding, similar to Ian levels. The next high tide is at 9:48 pm and additional flooding is expected, so we are unable to complete a full assessment until the flood waters have receded.

As always with these events, flooding is a major concern, but the campus is also without power. This is due to Florida Power Line needing to shut off the grid we operate from for safety and inspection purposes. It is unknown when power will return, though power companies work as quickly as they can while keeping both the workers and citizens safe. Additionally, we have WiFi down in a number of buildings; this is likely related to power and we are working to restore as soon as we can.

It’s for this reason that the campus will remain closed except for essential personnel and offices will work remotely until Monday, Nov. 14. Essential personnel will have been identified by their supervisor and notified of expected duties.

Residents are allowed on campus. The residence halls remained open due to the limited notice on the impact of the storm. While the past 24 hours may have been uncomfortable for them, it was the best decision to maintain their safety and to keep our students out of danger. The Ponce is on generator power and we are able to bring residential students to the common space for pizza and recharging of their devices. The Dining Hall will open tomorrow and begin normal operations at 8am.

Storms such as Hurricane Nicole are stressful and are likely to wreak havoc in some way. If you have been impacted, I encourage you to look into the Flagler College Emergency Fund which can help students and employees who are in need of food, transportation, etc. due to the storm.

• Students can complete an application by reaching out to Financial Aid at financialaid@flagler.edu.
• Employees can complete an application by reaching out to Shari Stanford at sstanford@flagler.edu.

We appreciate the campus community’s patience during this interesting time! Looking forward, we expect a beautiful north Florida weekend and classes to resume in person on Monday, but of course we do not control events.

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Update to Campus Operations

Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022, 1 p.m.

As Tropical Storm Nicole approaches and the College begins to feel its impact, The campus will officially close at 6pm today and move to remote operations with the following adjustments.

Campus Buildings

The Proctor Library and the Ringhaver Student Center will close at 6pm today. The Dining Hall will close at 7:30pm today. All other campus buildings, except residence halls, are now closed.  These buildings will remain closed until and all clear has been issued.

The Breezeway is blocked by a dam to protect it from flood waters, and the Ponce is only accessible through the King Street entrance.

Parking

The Malaga Street Parking Garage will remain open with the exception of the first floor. All surface lots will be closed until an all clear is issued. Vehicles parked in surface lots and on streets should be moved to higher ground such as the second floor and above of the Malaga Street Parking Garage.

Residence Halls

Residence halls remain open to all residential students. Residential students have received a separate email regarding an amended food service schedule.

Dining Services

Dining operations and hours will end today at 7:30pm.

Tomorrow, Thursday the 10th, all dining locations on campus will be closed. Dining operations will reopen on Friday, the 11th, with normal hours.

Student Center/Library

The Proctor Library and Ringhaver Student Center will close at 6pm today and reopen when an all clear has been issued. 

Please continue monitoring these Flagler College communication channels for future advisories:

• Campus e-mail (for students, faculty and staff)
• www.flagler.edu
• Family Portal (parents)

More information

• Flagler College
• National Hurricane Center: www.nhc.noaa.gov
• St. Johns County Emergency Management: www.sjcemergencymanagement.com

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Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, 6 p.m.

In anticipation of Tropical Storm Nicole, a Hurricane Watch has been issued by the National Hurricane Center for the St. Augustine area. This means hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area in the next 48 hours. For that reason, the College will adjust its campus operations.

Campus Information

St. Johns County has issued a voluntary evacuation for coastal areas including the City of St. Augustine due to expected flooding with Tropical Storm Nicole. With a short window to respond to this order, the College currently remains open this week including residence halls, but it will offer reduced resources for the remainder of the week. For students remaining on campus, there is the potential to experience limited dining services and restricted access to facilities, such as the Proctor Library and Ringhaver Student Center, dependent on levels of flooding.

Additional information on campus operations will be communicated tomorrow.

Weather Update

Tropical storm conditions are expected beginning early Wednesday, and the National Hurricane Center has warned that a dangerous storm surge, possibly as high as 3-5 feet, is expected along much of the east coast of Florida. Flooding from the storm is exacerbated by strong onshore winds and high astronomical tides.

Nicole is expected to be a large storm with hazards extending well to the north of the forecast cone.

St. Johns County beaches are forecasted to experience unusually high surf and tides, dangerous rip currents, and strong winds along the coastline Wednesday through Saturday. Residents and visitors are strongly encouraged to exercise extreme caution and avoid ocean swimming.

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Flagler adjusting operations for Subtropical Storm Nicole

Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, 5 p.m.

Flagler College is continuing to track the path of Tropical Storm Nicole, and its expected impact on St. Augustine and the campus. The greatest threat that the storm poses is potential flooding. For this reason, the College will be adjusting its operations throughout the week.

Tuesday, Nov. 8

• To protect the Ponce from any potential rising waters associated with the storm, a dam will be built in the breezeway beginning Tuesday morning. Once that dam is in place, campus community members will access the building through the courtyard entrance off King St.
• The Sean Kingston concert scheduled at the St. Augustine Amp is still on. The concert will be moved to the big stage to provide cover from any rain showers during the show. Shuttle buses to the Amp will begin at 6:30 p.m. in front of the Ringhaver Student Center.

Wednesday, Nov. 9

• To prevent travel during the storm and after it passes, classes will be moved to remote sessions on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The specific of how class hours are delivered are at the discretion of each faculty member.
• Registration for spring 2023 will continue through MyFlagler as planned.
• Residence Halls will remain open unless the St. Johns County Emergency Operation Center mandates an evacuation of the city.
• Most campus events on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are suspended. Saints Connect should be consulted to verify the status of individual events. The Usdin Public Lecture featuring Dr. Raymond P. Scheindlin is postponed and will be rescheduled to a later date. Every effort will be made to reschedule Harry Potter Week for the future.
• The Council of Staff Affairs (COSA) meeting will be canceled and combined with the All Staff Meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 16. The Employee Health Fair scheduled for Friday will be rescheduled at a later date.
• The Dining Hall, Bistro and POD will remain open and continue normal operations throughout the week.
• Campus buildings, including the Proctor Library, will continue normal operations throughout the week. The Ringhaver Student Center will be open on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Staff should work directly with their supervisors on a case-by-case basis to address any needs for storm preparation or issues getting to campus due to flooding in their area.

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Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, 12:30 p.m.

Flagler College is monitoring the development of Subtropical Storm Nicole, which has formed near the Bahamas and is expected to move northwest toward the east coast Florida. Tropical Storm and Storm Surge Watches have been issued for St. Augustine, which means that tropical storm and storm surge conditions are possible within the area within 48 hours.

Heavy rainfall and possible tropical storm force winds are expected by mid- to late-week, and there is the potential for storm surge of 3-5 feet within areas prone to flooding. Cars located on the first floor of the campus parking garage should move to the upper floors during the storm. In addition, rough surf and rip currents are expected along the beaches, and everyone should avoid swimming and surfing. The National Hurricane Center says residents of Florida should monitor the progress of Nicole as it moves toward the east coast of the state by Wednesday night.

We are continuing to receive updates from the St. Johns County Emergency Operations Center and will communicate to campus later today. At this time, Flagler College is continuing with normal operations and classes remain on schedule.