Campus Alert Archive
B-CU

Significant Weather Damage at an HBCU: Bethune-Cookman's Mandatory Evacuation for Hurricane Matthew

FLhurricaneemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On Wednesday, October 5, 2016, Bethune-Cookman University — a historically Black university in Daytona Beach, Florida — issued a mandatory evacuation of its campus, requiring all students to leave residence halls by 6:00 PM EDT Wednesday ahead of Hurricane Matthew. The Category 3 hurricane's eyewall brushed the Daytona Beach coast at 10:00 AM EDT Friday, October 7 with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. B-CU campus suffered significant weather damage, with the university announcing that it would remain closed through at least Tuesday, October 12.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
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Injured
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Institution
Bethune-Cookman University
Hbcu · FL
~3,000 studentsWildcat Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from WFTV coverage of B-CU mandatory evacuation issued Wednesday October 5, 2016531 chars
Wildcat Alert: Due to Hurricane Matthew, Bethune-Cookman University is issuing a MANDATORY EVACUATION of the entire campus. All students must vacate residence halls by 6:00 PM today, Wednesday, October 5. Volusia County is under mandatory evacuation orders for coastal areas. Students should travel to family or friends inland or use Volusia County evacuation shelters. The campus will be closed until further notice. No personnel should remain on campus after 6:00 PM. Updates will be issued through Wildcat Alert and cookman.edu.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Mandatory evacuation — not voluntary — distinguishes B-CU's response from the UNF (University of North Florida) Hurricane Matthew response the same week; B-CU's Daytona Beach location was directly in Matthew's path
6:00 PM EDT Wednesday deadline gave students approximately 40 hours to evacuate before Matthew's closest approach at 10:00 AM EDT Friday October 7
Volusia County issued mandatory evacuation for coastal areas — B-CU's campus is on the mainland but the coastal-evacuation zone overlapped with off-campus student housing along Atlantic Avenue
UPDATESMS+2d
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from First Coast News coverage of significant weather damage to the B-CU campus issued late Friday October 7, 2016353 chars
Wildcat Alert: Hurricane Matthew has passed Daytona Beach. The Bethune-Cookman campus has sustained significant weather damage. Damage assessment is ongoing. Do NOT return to campus. Residence halls are not yet safe to occupy. The campus will remain closed through at least Tuesday, October 11. Updates will follow through Wildcat Alert and cookman.edu.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

'Significant weather damage' — the contemporaneous First Coast News framing — distinguished B-CU's experience from UNF (no significant damage) and Daytona State College (minimal damage)
Matthew's eyewall brushed the Daytona Beach coast around 10:00 AM EDT Friday October 7 — the strongest winds reached Bethune-Cookman's campus mid-morning to early afternoon
Do-not-return language reflects roof damage to multiple residence halls and academic buildings — a major institutional concern for an HBCU with limited insurance reserves
ALL CLEAREmail+7d
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from First Coast News follow-up coverage and B-CU's announced phased-reopening schedule from October 12, 2016433 chars
Wildcat Alert: Bethune-Cookman University will begin a phased reopening of campus. Residence halls deemed safe by Facilities will reopen for limited occupancy beginning today, Wednesday, October 12. Classes will resume on a modified schedule. Damage assessment continues. Faculty are asked to be flexible with students whose travel or off-campus housing was affected by Hurricane Matthew. Updates will continue through Wildcat Alert.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Phased reopening — limited occupancy in residence halls deemed safe by Facilities, modified class schedule — reflects the patchwork of damaged buildings across the campus
Wednesday October 12 reopening — six days after the October 7 closest approach — was the announced minimum; multiple residence halls remained closed beyond this date
B-CU was one of the most-damaged HBCU campuses of the 2016 hurricane season; the Matthew response shaped the Wildcat Alert template later used for Hurricane Ian (2022) and Hurricane Milton (2024)
Context

Background

Bethune-Cookman University is a historically Black private institution founded in 1904 in Daytona Beach, Florida by Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune. The Wildcat Alert emergency notification system delivers SMS, email, and voice messages to enrolled students. Hurricane Matthew was a Category 4-5 Atlantic hurricane that paralleled Florida's east coast in early October 2016. Its eyewall brushed the Daytona Beach coast at approximately 10:00 AM EDT on Friday, October 7, 2016 with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph — placing Bethune-Cookman among the most directly exposed Florida universities of the storm. On Wednesday, October 5, the university issued a mandatory campus evacuation requiring all students to leave residence halls by 6:00 PM EDT — about 40 hours of notice before Matthew's closest approach. Volusia County was under mandatory evacuation orders for coastal areas. After the storm passed, First Coast News reported that the Bethune-Cookman campus had suffered 'significant weather damage' and that the university would remain closed through at least Tuesday, October 11. The eventual phased reopening began Wednesday, October 12 with modified class schedules. The Matthew response was one of the most consequential hurricane events in B-CU's institutional history and shaped the Wildcat Alert template later used for Hurricane Ian in 2022 and Hurricane Milton in 2024. B-CU is one of the relatively few HBCUs to have experienced direct major-hurricane impact in the post-Katrina era; its damage during Matthew prompted increased attention to HBCU emergency-management infrastructure and disaster-resilience funding.
Analysis

Key Findings

Bethune-Cookman issued a mandatory evacuation of campus on Wednesday October 5, 2016 with a 6:00 PM EDT deadline — about 40 hours before Matthew's closest approach
Hurricane Matthew's eyewall brushed the Daytona Beach coast at approximately 10:00 AM EDT Friday October 7, 2016 with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph
B-CU's campus suffered 'significant weather damage' — among the most-damaged HBCU campuses of the 2016 hurricane season
Phased reopening began Wednesday October 12, 2016 — six days after closest approach; multiple residence halls remained closed beyond this date
Volusia County was under mandatory evacuation orders for coastal areas; B-CU's mainland campus partially overlapped with the evacuation zone
The Matthew response shaped the Wildcat Alert template later used for Hurricane Ian (2022) and Hurricane Milton (2024)
B-CU is among the most directly hurricane-exposed HBCUs in the United States; the Matthew damage prompted increased attention to HBCU emergency-management infrastructure
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Bethune-Cookman University issues mandatory evacuation ahead of hurricane (WFTV)
    wftv.com
  2. News
    Bethune-Cookman University's campus suffers 'significant weather damage' (First Coast News)
    firstcoastnews.com
  3. encyclopedia
    Effects of Hurricane Matthew in Florida (Wikipedia)
    en.wikipedia.org
  4. government
    Hurricane Matthew — A Major 2016 Hurricane That Brushed Florida (FSU Climate Center)
    climatecenter.fsu.edu
  5. government
    NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER TROPICAL CYCLONE REPORT HURRICANE MATTHEW (AL142016)
    nhc.noaa.gov
  6. News
    Bethune-Cookman orders campus evacuation due to Hurricane Ian (Spectrum News 13)
    mynews13.com
Tags
hurricanehurricane-matthewcampus-closurecampus-evacuationfloridadaytona-beachhbcuwildcat-alert2016-hurricane-seasonsignificant-damagemandatory-evacuationvolusia-county
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion