Dear members of the university community,

Due to the expected impact of Hurricane Matthew on South Florida, FIU will be closed today (Wednesday) starting at 5 p.m., as well as Thursday, Oct. 6 and Friday, Oct. 7, 2016. All classes, including online classes, concerts, home games and other events are canceled.

Weather permitting, libraries and Wellness and Recreation Centers at MMC and BBC will be open on Friday afternoon. Please stay alert for further updates. The university is expected to resume normal operations on Saturday.

Miami-Dade and Monroe counties are under a tropical storm warning; Broward and Palm Beach counties are under a hurricane warning, which means that weather conditions are expected to deteriorate within the next 24 hours, with the more severe weather expected north of Miami-Dade.

Today is the day to finalize preparations at work and at home and make sure you have all the supplies you need to weather the storm.

Faculty and staff need to work directly with their supervisors to arrange any necessary time off needed to prepare, using appropriate leave.

Faculty and staff, please review your department’s Continuity of Operations Plan, including your office’s post-incident communication tree. As soon as possible after the storm passes, you should establish contact with your colleagues and supervisor. Essential employees should remain alert and be ready to return to work when conditions allow.

Before leaving campus today please take the following steps:

  • Back up all your data in case we lose power. You may use CrashPlan, an online cloud storage solution or Microsoft OneDrive for Business from Office365.
  • Please guard against flood damage by raising any sensitive equipment off the floor, especially in ground floor offices.
  • Cover all electronic equipment to protect it from any water leakage that may occur as a result of the storm.

Resident students who plan to spend the storm on campus should move vehicles into garages starting this evening. The Golden Panther Express will run until 7 p.m. this evening.

All the food venues will be closed Thursday and Friday with the exception of Fresh Food Company, which will serve only breakfast on Thursday. Fresh Food will reopen on Friday afternoon, along with Starbucks in the Green Library, and the Breezeway, weather permitting.

Faculty and staff are welcome to leave personal vehicles with valid parking permits in PG5 and PG6 at MMC.

Hurricane preparation may be a new experience for many members of our university community; for tips on what to do, please visit the FIU Department of Emergency Management website or Miami-Dade County’s Hurricane guide.

Please continue to monitor local media and pay attention to updates from the National Hurricane Center.

Further updates regarding university operations will continue to be made available on the university’s news page, news.fiu.edu, social media outlets and on 305-348-HELP. Students are urged to read our student FAQs.

Stay safe and look for additional updates.