Catawba College News Service

As of noon today, Catawba College has made no plans to alter the schedule of classes, including SEGS classes that will meet this week, or events through Thursday, Sept. 13.

If a decision is made to cancel classes on Friday, Sept. 14, that decision will be communicated to the campus community by 6 a.m. on Friday morning via CatawbAlerts, the college website (www.catawba.edu), and the college’s social media platforms.

Even if classes are cancelled on Friday, Catawba’s residential students are encouraged to shelter-in-place on campus rather than trying to make their way to their homes.

The forecast for heavy rains could create flooding on the roadways, while high winds could cause downed trees and power lines that would make travel dangerous.  If classes are cancelled, the college will remain operational with essential personnel reporting to work.

Campus administrators are monitoring forecasts, collaborating with local emergency response officials, activating campus emergency preparedness plans, and gearing up for heavy rainfall, damaging winds, and the potential for downed trees and power outages.

The Catawba Emergency Response Group met this morning and shared the preparedness plans that are in place:

• The generator in the Cannon Student Center on campus is fueled and ready to go if there are power outages on campus. This will allow resident students a place to gather, charge phones and computers, and have meals if the power goes out on campus.  A second generator will be in place on campus for a week beginning this Thursday and will likely be located in the Abernethy Physical Education Center.
• Chartwells, the campus food service provider, has plenty of bottled water and is prepared to provide meals to students even if there is a power outage on campus.
• Resident assistants in each residence hall on campus have undergone training to assist students with emergency response protocols as necessary.

Catawba has about 150 students whose families live in the counties of N.C. and S.C. that will be directly impacted by Hurricane Florence.

“The campus community is thinking of you and your loved ones and holding you in our hearts and prayers as we all prepare and await what Hurricane Florence brings,” says spokeswoman Tonia Black-Gold. If you are a student who needs administrative or counseling support in the days ahead, please reach out to your Resident Assistant if you live on campus, or call Catawba’s Public Safety at 704-637-4000 or 704-202-1734 to access on-call staff.