{
  "id": "2024-10-09-university-of-south-florida-hurricane-milton",
  "slug": "university-of-south-florida-hurricane-milton-2024-10-09",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of South Florida",
    "shortName": "USF",
    "state": "FL",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "enrollment": 50000,
    "alertSystemName": "USF Alert",
    "alertPlatform": "Rave Mobile Safety"
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-10-09",
    "endDate": "2024-10-21",
    "type": "hurricane",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "headline": "Hurricane Milton forced a week-long closure and flooded parts of campus",
    "headlinePublic": "Hurricane Milton forced a week-long closure and flooded parts of campus",
    "summary": "Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida on October 9, 2024, forcing the [closure of all USF campuses from October 7 through at least October 12](https://www.usforacle.com/2024/10/10/usf-closes-all-campuses-until-saturday-due-to-hurricane-milton/). The Tampa campus experienced significant flooding, particularly around the [Bookstore and Morsani Center](https://www.usf.edu/news/2024/hurricane-milton-the-people-helping-restore-usf-campus-operations.aspx). Full in-person operations did not resume until October 21.",
    "outcome": "All three USF campuses closed for over a week. Tampa and Sarasota-Manatee reopened October 14; St. Petersburg reopened October 15. Full in-person classes resumed October 21. Students received up to $1,500 in emergency funding."
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "October 7, 2024, as campus closure was announced",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "Hurricane Milton update:\n\nAll #USF campuses are closed and all classes are canceled through at least Thu. 10/10.\n\nResidence halls on the Tampa campus will close at 8am on Tue. 10/8.\n\nAll residential students who need a safe place to stay will be transported to Jennings Middle School (an approved Hillsborough County shelter) during the storm.\n\nFull update ➡️ https://www.usf.edu/news/2024/usf-update-on-tropical-storm-milton.aspx",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/USouthFlorida/status/1843356780879020141",
      "sourceDescription": "@USouthFlorida on X (verbatim)",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim USF official X post from October 7, 2024, the post is truncated at the platform character limit and the cut-off mid-sentence ('transported to Jennings Middle') matches the public social-media archive",
        "Residence hall closure forced students to find alternative housing or accept transport to a local middle school shelter",
        "This came just weeks after Hurricane Helene had already impacted the St. Petersburg campus",
        "Corrected to exact fxtwitter display text."
      ],
      "characterCount": 430
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2024-10-10T10:50:39-04:00",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "Hurricane Milton update:\n\nTeams from USF are beginning an assessment of all campuses this morning. The safety of our students, faculty & staff is our highest priority. USF will provide an update later today. Please do not come back to campus until notified that it is safe to return.\n\n🔗: https://www.usf.edu/news/2024/usf-update-on-tropical-storm-milton.aspx",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/USouthFlorida/status/1844390093231947864",
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      "characterCount": 359
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2024-10-10T14:31:01-04:00",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "Hurricane Milton update:\n\nAll campuses will remain closed until at least Sat. 10/12.\n\nAll classes are canceled on Fri. 10/11 & Sat. 10/12.\n\n#USF will not be resuming normal business operations in person or remotely on Fri. 10/11.\n\n#USF is working to get residence halls and dining reopened for students as soon as possible.\n\n 🔗:https://www.usf.edu/news/2024/usf-update-on-tropical-storm-milton.aspx",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/USouthFlorida/status/1844445548272562563",
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    },
    {
      "sequence": 4,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2024-10-11T17:10:40-04:00",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "Hurricane Milton update:\n\nAll #USF campuses will remain closed until at least Mon. 10/14. Please do not come back to campus until notified that it's safe to return.\n\nClasses scheduled for Mon. 10/14 on our Tampa, @usfsp, and @USFSM campuses will only be held asynchronously (not in person). \n\nClasses held in MDD (USF downtown) will meet in-person starting on Mon. 10/14.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/USouthFlorida/status/1844848113476890651",
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      "characterCount": 371
    },
    {
      "sequence": 5,
      "type": "update",
      "timestampApprox": "October 10, 2024, extending campus closure through Saturday",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "Hurricane Milton update:\n\nAll #USF campuses will remain closed until at least Mon. 10//14, and scheduled classes will only be held asynchronously (not in person). Business operations will resume remotely on Mon. 10/14.\n\nA decision about reopening campuses on Mon. 10/14, as well as class schedules and business operations for Tue. 10/15, will be made on Sun. 10/13.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/USouthFlorida/status/1845203309717803104",
      "sourceDescription": "@USouthFlorida on X (verbatim raw t.co)",
      "annotations": [
        "Note the published post contains '10//14' with a doubled slash, preserved as posted",
        "Campus experienced flooding around Fowler Avenue, N. 22nd Street, the Bookstore, and the Morsani Center",
        "The St. Petersburg campus was still recovering from Hurricane Helene damage when Milton struck"
      ],
      "characterCount": 365
    },
    {
      "sequence": 6,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "October 14, 2024, as Tampa campus reopened",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "#USF update on Hurricane Milton:\n\nOur Tampa and @USFSM campuses will reopen on Mon. 10/14.\n\nSome services may be limited and some facilities may have reduced hours. Please check our FAQs for details re: on-campus facility and service hours.\nhttps://www.usf.edu/news/2024/usf-update-on-tropical-storm-milton.aspx",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceDescription": "@USouthFlorida on X (verbatim)",
      "annotations": [
        "The staggered reopening across three campuses reflected the varying levels of storm damage",
        "Students were eligible for one-time emergency funding up to $1,500 for storm-related expenses",
        "Corrected to exact fxtwitter display text."
      ],
      "characterCount": 311,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/USouthFlorida/status/1845585909229498658",
      "timestamp": "2024-10-13T18:02:24-04:00"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 7,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2024-10-13T18:02:25-04:00",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "Residence halls and dining in Tampa and Sarasota-Manatee reopened on Sun. 10/13, except for Juniper and Poplar Halls (JPH), which remain closed.\n\nAn update on JPH will be provided on Mon. 10/14.\nhttps://www.usf.edu/news/2024/usf-update-on-tropical-storm-milton.aspx",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/USouthFlorida/status/1845585911096242483",
      "sourceDescription": "@USouthFlorida on X (verbatim)",
      "annotations": [
        "Cascade same-day official @USouthFlorida post; fxtwitter raw_text."
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      "characterCount": 265
    },
    {
      "sequence": 8,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2024-10-13T18:02:25-04:00",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "Our @usfsp campus will reopen on Tue. 10/15.\n\nResidence halls & dining in St. Petersburg will reopen at 10am on Tue. 10/15, except for Pelican Hall (RHO) which remains closed. \n\nResidential students in RHO will receive additional information separately.\nhttps://www.usf.edu/news/2024/usf-update-on-tropical-storm-milton.aspx",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/USouthFlorida/status/1845585912748466285",
      "sourceDescription": "@USouthFlorida on X (verbatim)",
      "annotations": [
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      "characterCount": 324
    },
    {
      "sequence": 9,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2024-10-14T14:10:55-04:00",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "Hurricane Milton update:\n\nJuniper and Poplar Halls (JPH) on our Tampa campus will reopen for residential students at 5pm on Mon. 10/14. \n\nAll other residence halls on the Tampa campus have already been opened.\nhttps://www.usf.edu/news/2024/usf-update-on-tropical-storm-milton.aspx",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/USouthFlorida/status/1845890041090113942",
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      "annotations": [
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      "characterCount": 280
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  ],
  "context": "Hurricane Milton struck Florida on October 9, 2024, as one of the most powerful storms of the season. For USF, the storm was compounded by damage still being repaired from [Hurricane Helene](https://www.usf.edu/news/2024/usf-update-on-tropical-storm-milton.aspx), which had struck just two weeks earlier. The [Tampa campus experienced significant flooding](https://www.usforacle.com/2024/10/10/usf-closes-all-campuses-until-saturday-due-to-hurricane-milton/) around the Marshall Student Center, Bookstore, and Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare. The university's [Facilities Services team worked rapidly](https://www.usf.edu/news/2024/hurricane-milton-the-people-helping-restore-usf-campus-operations.aspx) to assess damage and restore campus operations, finding damage to streetlights, traffic signals, and buildings, though nothing was severely damaged thanks to pre-storm preparations. The decision to close residence halls and transport students to Jennings Middle School underscores the challenge universities face when severe weather threatens campus housing. USF's emergency management was tested by back-to-back hurricanes in a way that few institutions have experienced.",
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    {
      "title": "USF closes all campuses until Saturday due to Hurricane Milton (USF Oracle)",
      "url": "https://www.usforacle.com/2024/10/10/usf-closes-all-campuses-until-saturday-due-to-hurricane-milton/",
      "type": "student-newspaper",
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  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
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    "weather",
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