Preparing for Hurricane Season

The 2024 hurricane season begins Saturday, June 1. At Florida Atlantic, the safety of our students, faculty and staff is a priority. To ensure that our community is prepared for a possible tropical weather event, I encourage everyone to review the following information to help plan for a potential hurricane.

Receiving or Accessing Information

Should a tropical storm or hurricane approach any Florida Atlantic campus, the University will disseminate important information through a variety of communication platforms, including email, telephone calls, text messaging, social media, and updates to the advisory website.

To ensure you receive the latest information via phone or text in the event of any emergency, please take a few minutes to verify your FAU Alert contact information is up to date by reviewing the “How Do I Sign Up” information on the FAU Alert website.

If a storm does threaten our area, the National Hurricane Center will issue advisories, including watches and warnings. 

Planning and Preparedness

Preparation is key to remaining safe if a tropical storm or hurricane affects our area. Have an emergency plan in place for yourself, family, pets and home. 

• Download the Owl Ready app. The new Hurricane Preparedness and Recovery button provides the University community with various resources and instructional videos on evacuation zones, emergency kits, shelters, and much more. The app also can turn your phone into a mobile blue light, features emergency guides/contacts, and provides multiple ways to a report a safety/security concern directly to Florida Atlantic. 

 

• Information on preparing for, responding to, and recovering from hurricanes, such as unit emergency planning documents, action guides on weather events, and details on creating emergency kits, is available on Florida Atlantic’s Emergency Management website. 

 

• Resident students on the Boca Raton and Jupiter campuses should review the hurricane and storm resources on the Housing and Residential Education website. 

 

• All University units should have updated emergency plans. Both essential and non-essential personnel play key roles preparing for, responding to, and recovering from hurricanes. Everyone with emergency duties should familiarize themselves with the essential personnel policy and program. 

 

• The National Weather Service provides additional guidance on hurricane preparedness. 

 

• Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holidays – Consumers can purchase qualifying disaster preparedness supplies exempt from tax. The first holiday runs from Saturday, June 1 through Friday, June 14. A second exemption period will occur from Saturday, Aug. 24 through Friday, Sept. 6. For a list of qualifying items, visit FloridaRevenue.com/DisasterPrep.  

Please bookmark all the links above and check your emergency contact information.

If you have questions, contact the FAU Department of Emergency Management at em@fau.edu.

Let’s Be Prepared, Be Safe, Be Owl Ready!