The University of North Florida canceled all classes and activities after 3:00 PM EDT on Wednesday, October 5, 2016 as Hurricane Matthew -- a Category 4 hurricane brushing the East Coast -- approached Jacksonville. The university relocated approximately 270 residential students to its on-campus hurricane shelter in Building 55, Osprey Fountains. UNF itself was outside Jacksonville's mandatory evacuation zones (A, B, C), but the city issued widespread evacuation orders for coastal residents.
Alerts
3
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
University of North Florida
Public R2 · FL
~16,500 studentsOsprey 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 reconstruction·593 chars
OSPREY ALERT: Due to Hurricane Matthew, the University of North Florida will cancel all classes and activities effective at 3:00 PM today, Wednesday, October 5. The campus will be closed Thursday, October 6, and Friday, October 7. Resident students who cannot evacuate should report to Building 55, Osprey Fountains, the on-campus hurricane shelter. Students living off campus and within Duval County mandatory evacuation zones A, B, or C should follow city evacuation orders. Faculty and staff should not report to work Thursday or Friday. Updates will be issued via Osprey Alert and unf.edu.
This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.
Reconstructed from UNF's announced closure timeline -- 3:00 PM Wednesday cancellation through Friday closure -- as reported by the UNF Spinnaker student newspaper
Identifies Building 55 Osprey Fountains explicitly -- the named on-campus hurricane shelter that received approximately 270 students during Matthew
Distinguishes UNF's location (outside zones A, B, C) from off-campus students who lived inside Duval County mandatory evacuation zones
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstruction·543 chars
OSPREY ALERT UPDATE: Approximately 270 residential students have been relocated to Osprey Fountains for the duration of Hurricane Matthew. Dining services are providing meals at the shelter. Students should remain indoors and follow shelter staff instructions. Hurricane-force winds and rain are expected Thursday night through Friday morning as Matthew passes offshore. Do not attempt to drive. The Saint Johns River is at risk of significant flooding. The campus remains closed through Friday, with reopening contingent on damage assessment.
This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.
Reconstructed; the 270-student shelter count is the contemporaneous figure cited by UNF Spinnaker
References the Saint Johns River flood risk -- a defining feature of Matthew's Jacksonville impact
Notes that reopening was contingent on damage assessment, the standard hurricane recovery pattern
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction·453 chars
OSPREY ALERT: Hurricane Matthew has passed. Damage assessment is ongoing across campus. The University of North Florida will resume normal operations on Monday, October 10. Shelter operations at Osprey Fountains have concluded. Students who relocated may now return to their residence halls. Classes resume Monday on the regular schedule. Faculty are asked to be flexible with students whose off-campus housing was affected. Thank you for your patience.
This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.
Reconstructed from the published reopening date (Monday, October 10) following the October 5-7 closure
References flexibility for students whose off-campus housing was affected -- many UNF students lived in mandatory-evacuation zones A, B, or C in Duval County
Shelter conclusion language mirrors the standard UNF emergency-management closure-of-operation sequence
Context
Background
Hurricane Matthew was a Category 4-5 Atlantic hurricane that paralleled the East Coast of Florida in early October 2016, passing closest to Jacksonville on the night of October 7 as a Category 3 storm approximately 30 miles offshore. The City of Jacksonville issued mandatory evacuation orders for zones A, B, and C. The University of North Florida sits inland from these zones; the campus itself was not subject to mandatory evacuation, but the threat of hurricane-force winds and Saint Johns River flooding led the university to cancel all classes and activities after 3:00 PM EDT on Wednesday, October 5, and close the campus Thursday and Friday. UNF's standard hurricane protocol is to relocate residential students unable to evacuate to its on-campus shelter, Building 55, Osprey Fountains. During Matthew, approximately 270 students were relocated to the Fountains -- a major mobilization of housing staff and dining services. The campus reopened on Monday, October 10. No campus injuries were reported.
Analysis
Key Findings
01UNF canceled all classes and activities after 3:00 PM EDT on Wednesday, October 5, 2016, ahead of Matthew
02Approximately 270 residential students were relocated to Osprey Fountains (Building 55), UNF's designated on-campus hurricane shelter
03UNF's main campus is outside Jacksonville's mandatory evacuation zones (A, B, C), but off-campus students in those zones were directed to follow city evacuation orders
04Matthew passed offshore of Jacksonville on October 7 as a Category 3 hurricane; UNF reopened Monday, October 10
05The shelter mobilization established the template UNF used for subsequent hurricane closures including Irma (2017) and Dorian (2019)
Outcome
Classes canceled Wednesday afternoon, October 5; campus closed Thursday and Friday. Approximately 270 residential students sheltered in Osprey Fountains (Building 55). Campus reopened the following week. No injuries reported. Hurricane Matthew passed approximately 30 miles offshore of Jacksonville on October 7 as a Category 3 hurricane.