Campus Alert Archive
FAMU

Foster-Tanner Band Hall Shelter and an 11 PM Curfew: How the Nation's Top HBCU Closed Six Campuses for Irma

FLhurricaneemergency notificationhigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

Beginning Friday, September 8, 2017, Florida A&M University — the nation's leading HBCU — closed its Tallahassee, Crestview, Jacksonville, Tampa, Brooksville, and Davie/Miami campuses through Friday, September 15 in response to Hurricane Irma. The College of Law in Orlando reopened Wednesday September 13; all other campuses reopened Monday September 18. FAMU relocated Palmetto North residence hall students to a temporary shelter at the Foster-Tanner Band Rehearsal Hall on Sunday September 10 and instituted a campus-wide curfew from 11:00 PM Sunday September 10 to 7:00 PM Monday September 11.

Alerts
4
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Hbcu · FL
~9,900 studentsFAMU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

4 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 FAMU Forward news release dated September 7, 2017 announcing the system-wide Irma closure467 chars
FAMU Alert: In accordance with Governor Rick Scott's directive that all Florida state universities close due to Hurricane Irma, Florida A&M University will close all campuses — Tallahassee, Crestview, Jacksonville, Tampa, Brooksville, and Davie/Miami — beginning Friday, September 8 through Monday, September 11. The College of Law in Orlando is also closed. All classes are canceled. All events are canceled. Updates will be issued via FAMU Alert at famu.edu/alerts.

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

FAMU operates six branch locations beyond Tallahassee — Crestview, Jacksonville, Tampa, Brooksville, Davie/Miami, plus the Orlando College of Law — making its 2017 Irma closure logistically more complex than any other Florida HBCU
FAMU Alert at famu.edu/alerts delivers SMS, email, and voice messages; FAMU was an early HBCU adopter of paired text/email emergency notification
Issued in compliance with Governor Scott's statewide directive — FAMU was one of 12 SUS institutions closing simultaneously
UPDATESMS
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from The Famuan (FAMU student newspaper) coverage of the Sunday September 10 Palmetto North relocation and curfew317 chars
FAMU Alert: Palmetto North residents will be transported to the Foster-Tanner Band Rehearsal Hall as a temporary shelter beginning at 1:00 PM today. Transport ends at 3:00 PM. Bring essential items only. A campus-wide curfew will be in effect from 11:00 PM tonight through 7:00 PM Monday. Stay indoors. Do not travel.

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

Palmetto North relocation to Foster-Tanner Band Rehearsal Hall — a named on-campus shelter location — is one of the most-cited specifics of FAMU's Irma response and a recurring feature of FAMU hurricane planning
1:00 PM-3:00 PM transport window — two hours — reflects the tight pre-storm preparation timeline; Irma's first Florida landfall occurred at Cudjoe Key at 9:10 AM EDT Sunday, six to eight hours before the relocation
11:00 PM Sunday through 7:00 PM Monday — 20-hour curfew — is significantly longer than the FSU and UF parallel curfews and reflects FAMU's concern about Tallahassee tree damage and power outages
UPDATEEmail+1d
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from FAMU Forward update on Tuesday September 12 closure extension through Friday September 15349 chars
FAMU Alert: The Tallahassee and Crestview campuses will remain closed through Friday, September 15. Any events scheduled to take place on campus the week of September 11-15, 2017 are canceled. The College of Law in Orlando will reopen Wednesday, September 13. All other campuses will reopen Monday, September 18. Continue to monitor famu.edu/alerts.

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

Differential reopening — Law in Orlando on Wednesday September 13, all others Monday September 18 — was driven by the fact that Orlando experienced less hurricane impact than Tallahassee and the Panhandle
Tallahassee experienced its strongest sustained winds Monday night September 11 as Irma passed approximately 100 miles to the east as a tropical storm — widespread tree damage and prolonged power outages
FAMU's eight-day closure (Friday September 8 through Friday September 15) parallels FSU's adjacent eight-day closure, reflecting that the two Tallahassee universities coordinated emergency communications closely
ALL CLEAREmail+5d
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from FAMU Forward final Irma update — Monday September 18 reopening announcement issued Friday afternoon September 15310 chars
FAMU Alert: The Tallahassee and Crestview campuses will resume normal operations on Monday, September 18. Classes resume Monday. Faculty are asked to be flexible with students affected by Hurricane Irma. Thank you to the FAMU community for your patience and cooperation during this hurricane emergency. Strike!

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

'Strike!' — the FAMU Rattlers athletic cheer — appears as a closing salutation; FAMU emergency communications routinely close with school spirit phrases distinct from peer SUS schools
Monday September 18 reopening — 10 days after initial Friday September 8 closure — parallels FSU's identical reopening date and is one of the longest hurricane-related closures in FAMU history
The 'faculty flexibility' closing matches the parallel UF Alert and FSU Alert closing language for the same hurricane, suggesting Florida SUS template harmonization
Context

Background

Florida A&M University — the nation's top-ranked public HBCU — operates in Tallahassee with branch locations in Crestview, Jacksonville, Tampa, Brooksville, Davie/Miami, and an Orlando College of Law. The FAMU Alert system delivers SMS, email, and voice notifications to enrolled students and registered employees, with primary publication on famu.edu/alerts. Hurricane Irma — a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that made first U.S. landfall in the Florida Keys as Category 4 at 9:10 AM EDT on September 10, 2017 — prompted Governor Rick Scott to direct all Florida state universities to close from Friday September 8 through Monday September 11. FAMU's response was notable for three features: a relocation of Palmetto North residence hall students to a temporary shelter at the Foster-Tanner Band Rehearsal Hall on Sunday September 10 (1:00 PM to 3:00 PM transport window); a 20-hour campus-wide curfew from 11:00 PM Sunday September 10 to 7:00 PM Monday September 11; and differential reopening of the College of Law in Orlando (Wednesday September 13) versus all other campuses (Monday September 18). FAMU's Tallahassee campus experienced its strongest sustained winds Monday night September 11 as Irma passed approximately 100 miles to the east as a tropical storm — widespread tree damage and prolonged power outages followed. FAMU's eight-day closure (Friday September 8 through Friday September 15) parallels Florida State's adjacent eight-day closure, reflecting that the two Tallahassee universities coordinate emergency communications closely. The Irma response established the FAMU Alert template later used for Hurricane Michael in 2018, Hurricane Idalia in 2023, and the Helene/Milton sequence in 2024 — most notably the Foster-Tanner Band Rehearsal Hall as a designated shelter and the 'Strike!' closing salutation that has become a recognizable feature of FAMU emergency communications.
Analysis

Key Findings

FAMU closed its Tallahassee and Crestview campuses Friday September 8 through Friday September 15, 2017 (eight days); all other campuses reopened Monday September 18
The Orlando College of Law reopened Wednesday September 13 — earlier than other campuses because Orlando experienced less hurricane impact than the Panhandle
Palmetto North residence hall students were relocated to a temporary shelter at the Foster-Tanner Band Rehearsal Hall on Sunday September 10 via a 1:00 PM-3:00 PM transport window
FAMU instituted a campus-wide curfew from 11:00 PM Sunday September 10 through 7:00 PM Monday September 11 — 20 hours, longer than parallel UF and FSU curfews
FAMU is the nation's top-ranked public HBCU and operates six branch locations beyond Tallahassee, making its Irma closure logistically complex
The Foster-Tanner Band Rehearsal Hall designated-shelter practice and 'Strike!' closing salutation have become recognizable features of subsequent FAMU emergency communications (Michael 2018, Idalia 2023, Helene/Milton 2024)
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    IRMA UPDATE: University, FAMU DRS Reopening Schedule Announced (FAMU Forward)
    famunews.com
  2. Student Paper
    FAMU prepares for Hurricane Irma (The Famuan)
    thefamuanonline.com
  3. Official
    FAMU Alerts
    famu.edu
  4. Official
    Inclement Weather Procedures And Announcements (FAMU)
    famu.edu
  5. News
    FAMU, FSU keeping a close eye on Hurricane Irma (WCTV)
    wctv.tv
  6. encyclopedia
    Hurricane Irma (Wikipedia)
    en.wikipedia.org
Tags
hurricanehurricane-irmacampus-closurefloridatallahasseefamu-alert2017-hurricane-seasonhbcufoster-tanner-band-hallcurfewpalmetto-northmulti-campus-system
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion