{
  "id": "2024-10-08-stetson-university-hurricane-milton",
  "slug": "stetson-university-hurricane-milton-2024-10-08",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Stetson University",
    "shortName": "Stetson",
    "state": "FL",
    "type": "private-masters",
    "alertSystemName": "Stetson Alert",
    "enrollment": 3500
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-10-08",
    "endDate": "2024-10-14",
    "type": "hurricane",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "headline": "Hurricane Milton prompts campus closure and residential student evacuation",
    "headlinePublic": "Hurricane Milton prompts campus closure and residential student evacuation",
    "summary": "On October 8, 2024, [Stetson University extended the closure of its DeLand campus](https://www2.stetson.edu/today/2024/10/stetson-monitoring-tropical-depression/) beginning at 1 p.m. through Friday October 11 ahead of Hurricane Milton. Residential students were [required to evacuate](https://www2.stetson.edu/today/2024/10/stetson-monitoring-tropical-depression/) and complete a 'What's Your Plan – Hurricane Milton Form' through Housing Central, with those needing shelter routed to Volusia County emergency shelters via Residential Living & Learning. The campus reopened October 14.",
    "outcome": "Campus closed October 8 at 1 p.m. through October 11. Power was lost across the DeLand campus during the storm but later fully restored. All residential facilities reopened. Classes resumed Tuesday, October 15. No student injuries reported."
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "October 7 or early October 8, 2024 EDT",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Stetson is extending the closure of the DeLand campus beginning Tuesday, Oct. 8, at 1 p.m. through Friday, Oct. 11, given the storm's intensity and the need for some employees to evacuate. Based on the current forecast of Hurricane Milton, all in-person classes & events are canceled Oct. 7-11, and residential students must evacuate campus and follow their Hurricane/Emergency Evacuation plan. All students need to fill out the \"What's Your Plan – Hurricane Milton Form,\" available through Housing Central on MyStetson, to indicate whether they have a place to go (home/family/friends) or need a place to stay.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www2.stetson.edu/today/2024/10/stetson-monitoring-tropical-depression/",
      "sourceDescription": "Verbatim closure-and-evacuation text from the official Stetson Today article on Hurricane Milton",
      "annotations": [
        "The closure took effect at 1 p.m. on Oct. 8, giving students the morning to finish packing and depart",
        "Mandatory completion of a 'What's Your Plan' form is unusual, converts the evacuation alert into a tracking instrument that lets Stetson account for every student's destination",
        "By offering Volusia County emergency shelter as a backup option for students without alternatives, Stetson addresses the equity gap that often goes unmentioned in 'evacuate' instructions",
        "The closure window of October 8-11 represents three full instructional days, plus weekend recovery, a four-day operational disruption"
      ],
      "characterCount": 611
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "October 13 or 14, 2024 EDT",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Stetson Today: Final Update for Hurricane Milton (Sunday Oct 13)",
      "annotations": [],
      "sourceUrl": "https://www2.stetson.edu/today/2024/10/stetson-monitoring-tropical-depression/"
    }
  ],
  "context": "[Stetson University](https://www2.stetson.edu/today/2024/10/stetson-monitoring-tropical-depression/) is a private master's-granting institution of about 3,500 students with its main campus in DeLand, Florida, about 35 miles west of Daytona Beach in Volusia County. Although DeLand is inland, [Volusia County issued evacuation orders ahead of Hurricane Milton](https://www.cfpublic.org/2024-10-07/hurricane-milton-evacuations-ordered-in-marion-and-volusia-counties) on October 7, 2024, and Stetson made the decision to evacuate residential students rather than rely on campus shelter-in-place. The university closed its DeLand campus beginning at 1 p.m. on October 8, requiring all residential students to depart and complete a 'What's Your Plan – Hurricane Milton Form' through Housing Central on MyStetson, a tracking system that lets the university account for every student's destination. Students who lacked travel options were routed to Volusia County emergency shelters by Residential Living & Learning. After [Milton's passage knocked out power across the DeLand campus](https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2024/10/06/hurricane-milton-school-and-university-closures-in-central-florida/), Stetson announced normal operations would resume Monday October 14 and classes Tuesday October 15. The 'What's Your Plan' tracking form gave the university knowledge of each residential student's destination, rather than students dispersing without further institutional record.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "Stetson required every residential student to file a 'What's Your Plan' form through Housing Central, converting the evacuation alert into an accountability instrument",
    "The closure took effect at 1 p.m. on Oct. 8, ahead of Milton's arrival",
    "Volusia County emergency shelter referrals via Residential Living & Learning provided an option for students without travel alternatives",
    "Power was lost across the DeLand campus during the storm; the reopening message confirmed full restoration"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Classes Resume on Tuesday, Oct. 15 (Stetson Today)",
      "url": "https://www2.stetson.edu/today/2024/10/stetson-monitoring-tropical-depression/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Hurricane Milton: Central Florida school, university closures (ClickOrlando)",
      "url": "https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2024/10/06/hurricane-milton-school-and-university-closures-in-central-florida/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Hurricane Milton evacuations ordered in Marion and Volusia counties (Central Florida Public Media)",
      "url": "https://www.cfpublic.org/2024-10-07/hurricane-milton-evacuations-ordered-in-marion-and-volusia-counties",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Volusia County Update - Hurricane Milton - 7:00 PM, October 8, 2024 (Holly Hill)",
      "url": "https://www.hollyhillfl.org/cityclerk/page/volusia-county-update-hurricane-milton-700-pm-october-8-2024",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "hurricane",
    "milton",
    "weather",
    "evacuation",
    "florida",
    "stetson",
    "deland",
    "volusia-county",
    "private-university",
    "whats-your-plan-form",
    "housing-tracking"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-20",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}