Hurricane Earl is ready to spew some nasty moderate rain over Manhattan.  Barnard Director of Public Safety Dianna Pennetti sent out a rather alarmist email to students this afternoon and here’s the takeaway:

There’s a Tropical Storm Watch in effect for Manhattan this evening.  So it might rain and be windy like Claremont Ave. in December, but that’s it, really.  Oh, and even though it’s enough of an emergency to warrant an email, NSOP activities aren’t being canceled.

Good luck, sailors!

Dear Students,

The NYC Office of Emergency Management has issued a Tropical Storm Watch for our area as a result of Hurricane Earl. Although the storm is not expected to hit NYC directly, we can still expect approximately 1/4″ to 1/2″ inches of rain and high winds of up to 39-57 mph from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM today. At the moment, we do not expect the hurricane to impact operations at the College but please take note of the announcements and precautions below.

For students participating in the New Student Orientation Program (NSOP):

  • All weekend NSOP programs will continue as scheduled unless otherwise noted.

For students who are planning to move in over the weekend:

  • Continue to monitor news reports of the storm and carefully consider the day and time you plan to move in. If there is any possibility of weather-related danger, it is best to wait. After 9am on Monday, Sept. 6, you may pick up keys at the Office of Residential Life.

For those on campus:

  • Ensure you have an adequate supply of essential medications.
  • Keep windows and doors closed.
  • Remove outside loose items.
  • Have flashlights and extra batteries available.
  • Travel through the tunnels whenever possible.
  • Avoid standing near or under large trees.
  • Report incidents of broken glass, water infiltration, or any other safety hazard to Public Safety at x88 or 212.854.3362
  • Avoid traveling in bad weather.
  • Refrain from jogging or walking in parks.
  • Turn off non-essential electrical equipment such as server monitors and work stations.
  • Back up data on servers and personal computers in case of power loss.
  • Have cash on hand in case ATM machines are affected by power loss.
  • Turn off wall switches to prevent a surge when power is restored.
  • Over the weekend, you can contact Residential Life by calling Public Safety.

In the event of a power outage, cooling centers will be set up at The Diana Center, Lehman Library and Lefrak Gym.

As this is a developing situation, it is important to watch for further campus alerts on the website and over email. Thank you for helping keep our community safe!

Dianna Pennetti

Director of Public Safety