USF update on Hurricane Milton

The university has provided a list of FAQs regarding Hurricane Milton here.

Updated Sun. Oct. 6 at 2:45 p.m. -

The University of South Florida continues to monitor Hurricane Milton.  The safety of our students, faculty and staff is our highest priority as we track the storm and the possible impacts to the Tampa Bay region.  

Based on the latest weather information, USF has made the following decisions:

• On Monday, Oct. 7, no in-person classes will be held, and all campuses will be closed.Classes will only be delivered asynchronously, which means students will not have to meet on Monday and they will receive an assignment from their instructor that does not have to be completed on Monday or while the university is closed. Students and faculty will receive more detailed information separately. Faculty are asked to be patient, understanding and flexible with their students under the circumstances.

• On Monday, Oct. 7, normal USF business operations will continue remotely. Only USF employees who are 1) classified as essential personnel, 2) identified by their supervisors as critical to campus operations, or 3) working in a facility that will remain open on Monday should report to work in person, in consultation with their supervisors. Employees who do not fall into these categories should work remotely on Monday. Please contact your supervisor if you are unsure of your status. Supervisors are strongly encouraged to offer flexibility for those who may need additional time to prepare their families, homes and personal belongings ahead of the storm. This may include adjusting work schedules to ensure employees have the necessary time to focus on their safety.

• On Tuesday, Oct. 8 and Wednesday, Oct. 9, all classes are canceled and all campuses will be closed. No asynchronous course delivery will occur for classes scheduled on Tuesday and Wednesday. Only USF employees who are 1) classified as essential personnel or 2) identified by their supervisors as critical to campus operations should report to work, come to campus or work remotely on Tuesday and Wednesday. Non-essential personnel or those not deemed critical to campus operations by their supervisor are not expected to work on Tuesday or Wednesday.

A decision about resuming classes, reopening campuses and returning to normal business operations for Thursday, Oct. 10, will be made a later time.

As soon as campuses close, academic and research buildings will move to emergency mode to allow response teams to prepare for impending weather. Once buildings move to emergency mode, only emergency personnel will be permitted to enter until campuses re-open.

Students who live on any USF campus are encouraged to leave the area if they have options to do so safely.

• Residence halls on the Tampa remain open as of now. However, depending on the path and intensity of the storm, the Tampa campus may need to evacuate, and the residence halls would have to close. If that happens, students remaining on campus would be transported to approved county shelters until it is safe to return.
• Residence halls in St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee will be closing by noon on Monday. St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee students who need a safe place to stay will be transported to the Tampa campus. If the Tampa campus is required to evacuate, students remaining on campus would be transported to approved county shelters until it is safe to return.

Residential students will receive more specific information about evacuation plans separately.

USF Health clinical facilities will be open on Monday, Oct. 7. Decisions about Tuesday, Oct. 8, and Wednesday, Oct. 9 will be announced later. USF Health patients may call 813-821-8038 to reschedule their appointments.

We urge students, faculty and staff to plan carefully, follow local weather reports and monitor updates from county and state emergency management officials. The USF Hurricane Guide also serves as a valuable resource for the university community.  

USF leadership will continue to monitor the storm and provide additional updates as needed. Any significant updates regarding changes to normal business operations will be shared via usf.edu, USF's official social media channels, MyUSF and email.

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