September 16, 2018
The Citadel’s emergency management team has completed an assessment of the campus to assure safe conditions for return to normal operations. Following coordination with state and county officials, The Citadel will have employees return to work on their normal schedule Monday September 17.
The Citadel will return to normal operations, including all classes, on Tuesday September 18. On Monday the barracks will be reopened to returning cadets starting at 1 p.m., with an accountability formation at 6 p.m. Supper will be available at Coward Hall for returning cadets. Online classes will continue as scheduled.
Anyone traveling back to campus should closely monitor state and local channels and comply with official travel advisories. At this time several interstate highway routes through North Carolina are impacted by storm conditions. The latest travel advisories for North Carolina are available at the following website: https://tims.ncdot.gov/tims. Some local routes in South Carolina are also affected by storm conditions. The South Carolina Department of Transportation maintains a website with the latest information on route closures. You can find the latest information here: https://www.scdot.org/travel/travel-road.aspx.
Members of the Corps of Cadets with questions or travel considerations should contact their chain of command and their TAC officer. Faculty or staff members should communicate with their supervisors if they they are experiencing storm impacts that affect their return to work.
College officials are committed to ensuring a quality academic experience for all students this semester, despite the extended cancellation of classes. The Citadel’s faculty have begun planning to enable the achievement of course objectives and preparation for exams later this semester.
September 15, 2018
The Citadel campus remains closed today and all campus activities, including classes, sporting events, visits and meetings are canceled through Monday, September 17. Online classes continue as scheduled.
At this time, Citadel officials are planning a return to normal operations, including classes, on Tuesday September 18. As a state agency, The Citadel will continue to follow the delay and closing schedule of our Charleston County government. The college will continue to coordinate with state and Charleston County emergency response officials to provide updates.
Essential personnel should continue to report for work as required. College officials will continue consulting with state and local officials throughout the day, and will make adjustments to the return schedule for remaining employees based on assessment of conditions caused by the storm.
The Citadel is planning to reopen the barracks no earlier than Monday at 1 p.m., and will conduct an accountability formation for cadets at 6 p.m. Monday. This schedule is also subject to assessment of the campus and local officials’ assessment of travel conditions, and is to be used for planning purposes only. Further details and guidance will follow. Members of the Corps of Cadets with questions should contact their chain of command and their TAC officer.
College officials are committed to ensuring a quality academic experience for all students this semester, despite the extended cancellation of classes. The Citadel’s faculty have begun planning to enable the achievement of course objectives and preparation for exams later this semester.
September 14, 2018
Tropical Cyclone Florence made landfall overnight near Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Most weather models predict the storm to move westward slowly with high winds, heavy rains and storm surges varying by proximity to the center of the storm. Charleston County remains under an evacuation order, and we are expected to receive tropical storm force winds and heavy rain starting later today and continuing into Saturday.
As a reminder, all campus activities, including sporting events, classes, meetings and visits are canceled until further notice. Online classes will continue as scheduled.
Please continue to monitor The Citadel’s website, social media sites, and campus email for updates. Once we have more information about the impact of the storm, we will communicate instructions about campus reopening and reconstitution.
Noon September 11, 2018
Campus Community,
In accordance with Governor McMaster’s evacuation order for the coast and The Citadel’s emergency response procedures, the Corps of Cadets was released beginning at 5:30 a.m. today. At this time cadets, faculty and staff have all departed. Campus emergency officials are continuing actions to secure the campus and protect campus facilities and resources.
Cadets have been instructed to keep their families informed of their evacuation arrangements and location throughout the process.
As a reminder, all campus activities, including classes, meetings, visits and sporting events are canceled until further notice.
Hurricane Florence has gained considerable strength and presents a significant threat to coastal areas in South Carolina. Although most storm tracks are predicting landfall of the storm in North Carolina, the size and intensity of the storm may create dangerous conditions locally. Some weather models predict substantial rainfall locally, presenting the potential for flooding.
Please continue to monitor The Citadel’s website and social media sites for updates, including the resumption of classes and reopening of the college when post-storm recovery actions allow. We will continue our coordination with state and county emergency response officials and let the campus community know when it is safe to come back.
VR,
John Dorrian, Colonel, USAF (ret)
Vice President for Communications and Marketing
4 p.m. September 10, 2018
The safety of our campus community is our primary concern, therefore the South Carolina Corps of Cadets will be released beginning at 5:30 a.m. September 11. Once this order is given, every member of the Corps will depart the campus in an orderly fashion, in accordance with The Citadel’s hurricane evacuation plans.
- All scheduled campus activities, including classes, sporting events meetings and campus visits are canceled starting September 11 until further notice.
- All classes on the evening of Monday, Sept. 10, will meet as scheduled.
- Online classes will continue as scheduled.
The Commandant’s office designates a representative to account for and monitor the transportation and relocation of all cadets. Under this process, TAC Officers check tracking and accountability rosters to insure that all cadets are included and have a form of transportation out of the evacuation area. Cadets will be instructed to keep their families informed of their departure arrangements and their location throughout the evacuation process.
Faculty & staff members who are non-essential for securing the campus and taking campus closure or emergency actions will be released after their last scheduled duty today. Please continue to monitor our social media, website, and local news for updates.
Campus emergency response personnel will continue to monitor the situation and issue updates as necessary. Once evacuation actions are complete, please continue to monitor The Citadel website and social media sites for additional updates, including resumption of classes and the reopening of the college when recovery actions allow. Our top priority at present is the safe evacuation of all members of our community. Cadets, students, faculty and staff should regularly check email, cell phones for updates.
September 9, 2018
Campus Community,
As of 0800 this morning, 9 September, Citadel officials have declared OPCON 3, a status consistent with Charleston County emergency response officials. We remain in contact with County, State and Federal agencies responsible for tracking the storm and taking actions to prepare for landfall.
At this time, according to the National Weather Service, Hurricane Florence is expected to reach Hurricane strength today and is forecast to become a major hurricane by Monday morning as it moves to the west and west-northwest through the first part of this week. By Thursday afternoon, Florence is forecast to approach the Southeast coastline as a major hurricane. While the National Hurricane Center has shifted the track slightly to the north, the strength and track remain highly uncertain and further track shifts are possible. It remains too early to determine where along the Southeast Coast landfall is possible. The Citadel will continue to monitor the storm and maintain close contact with Charleston County and State officials.
At this time, there have been no cancellations of campus activities–the college remains on its normal schedule.
If not already done, now would be an excellent time for members of our campus community to verify they have plenty of gas not only in vehicles, but gas for any generator equipment, plenty of water and money (cash).
After further consultations with county and state officials today, we will provide an update later this afternoon or early evening.
VR,
John L. Dorrian, Colonel, USAF (Ret.)
Vice President for Marketing and Communication
September 7, 2018
Campus Community,
Citadel officials participated this afternoon in a conference call with the Charleston County government to discuss the progress of Tropical Storm Florence. At the present time, Florence is a Tropical Storm that will be soon upgraded to Hurricane status. The storm track is not yet definitive, but according to the National Weather Service, the storm could potentially affect the East Coast. As of 5:00 p.m. today 7 September 2018, Charleston County moves to OPCON 4. In accordance with our normal procedures, The Citadel will follow suit. OPCON 4 requires all Citadel entities to review their response plans to ensure all necessary steps are in place in the event the storm begins moving more definitively in our direction.
Beyond college response procedures, this would be an excellent time to verify you have plenty of gas not only in your vehicles, but gas for any generator equipment, plenty of water and money (cash). You can find the Citadel’s Hurricane Response Plan at https://today.citadel.edu/bulldogalert/hurricane-information/ and the Quick Reference Guide at https://today.citadel.edu/bulldogalert/quick-reference-guide/.
As we obtain more information from Charleston County officials, we will make adjustments as required. In the meantime, please familiarize yourself with required actions and monitor campus email and social media.
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