{
  "id": "2025-09-24-university-of-virgin-islands-imelda-precursor",
  "slug": "university-of-virgin-islands-imelda-precursor-2025-09-24",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of the Virgin Islands",
    "shortName": "UVI",
    "state": "VI",
    "type": "territory",
    "alertSystemName": "Bucs Alert / VI Alert",
    "enrollment": 2500
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2025-09-24",
    "type": "flooding",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "headline": "Flooding, September 24, 2025",
    "summary": "On [September 23, 2025](https://www.uvi.edu/news/2025/25_118_uvi_suspends_all_operations_due_to_expected_weather_september_24.html), the University of the Virgin Islands announced that all classes and employee work would be suspended on Wednesday, September 24, due to a [tropical wave](https://stthomassource.com/content/2025/09/23/tropical-outlook-nhc-tracks-disturbances-as-puerto-rico-usvi-face-heavy-rain-and-flood-threat/) crossing the Leeward Islands. The same disturbance would later develop into [Hurricane Imelda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Imelda) on September 27. Only essential UVI employees were required to report in person, and the [Virgin Islands Consortium](https://viconsortium.com/mobile/vi-community_center/virgin-islands-uvi-to-resume-normal-classes-and-operations-on-thursday-after-weather-related-closure) reported normal operations resumed Thursday, September 25.",
    "outcome": "UVI suspended all operations on Wednesday, September 24, 2025. Flash flood warnings were issued for both St. Thomas and St. Croix. The university [announced resumption of classes](https://www.uvi.edu/news/2025/25_119_uvi_resumes.html) at regularly scheduled hours on Thursday, September 25. The disturbance later became Hurricane Imelda on September 27, far north of the USVI."
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Tuesday, September 23, 2025 AST, ahead of next-day operations suspension",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) will suspend all classes and employee work on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, due to expected inclement weather. Only essential employees are required to report in person. Employees should contact their supervisors to confirm their reporting status.\n\nGuidance for Students\n\n• All classes are suspended on Wednesday, Sept. 24.\n• Students are advised to remain indoors during inclement weather and avoid unnecessary travel.\n• Charge cellphones and devices in advance, and be aware that internet and Wi-Fi networks may be stressed or interrupted due to power outages.\n• On-campus residents may rely on Resident Assistants (RAs) for guidance and updates.\n\nGuidance for Faculty & Staff\n\n• All employee work is suspended on Wednesday, Sept. 24. Only essential employees are expected to report in person. Please check with your supervisor if you are uncertain of your status.\n• Cover computers, printers, and other sensitive equipment to prevent damage, especially in areas prone to flooding. Plastics to cover computers are available from Physical Plant:\n• Albert A. Sheen Campus, St. Croix: (340) 692-4171\n• Orville E. Kean Campus, St. Thomas: (340) 693-1500\n• Be patient with internet and Wi-Fi access, as networks may be disrupted by power outages and severe weather conditions.\n\nSign Up for Emergency Alerts\n\nBucs Alert – UVI's emergency notification system for critical updates via text and email.\n• Log in to MyCampus\n• Go to Personal Information in your BanWeb account\n• Enter your current cell phone number and email address\n• Already registered? Review your information to ensure accuracy.\n• Sign up now: https://tinyurl.com/UVIUpdates\n\nVI Alerts – Territorial notification system managed by VITEMA.\n• Sign up: https://vitema.vi.gov\n• Everbridge login: https://member.everbridge.net/892807736729008/login",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.uvi.edu/news/2025/25_118_uvi_suspends_all_operations_due_to_expected_weather_september_24.html",
      "sourceDescription": "UVI News Release 25-118: Suspends All Operations Sept 24",
      "annotations": [
        "Full official UVI community notice recovered from uvi.edu news release 25-118.",
        "USVI uses Atlantic Standard Time (UTC-4) year-round, with no daylight saving observed",
        "The precursor tropical wave was the same system that became Hurricane Imelda on September 27, 2025"
      ],
      "characterCount": 1845
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "Wednesday afternoon or evening, September 24, 2025 AST, ahead of Thursday's resumption",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Students & Employees Urged to Use Caution on Roadways\n\nThe University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) announces that all classes and hours of operation will resume at their regularly scheduled times on Thursday, September 25, 2025.\n\nEssential employees are expected to report at their normal schedules to ensure campus readiness.\n\nGuidance for Students\n\n• Classes will resume at their regularly scheduled hours on Thursday, September 25.\n• Students are advised to use caution when traveling to campus and remain alert for any weather-related updates.\n• On-campus residents should rely on their Resident Assistants (RAs) for guidance and assistance as needed.\n\nGuidance for Faculty & Staff\n\n• Faculty and staff should return to work at their regularly scheduled hours on Thursday, September 25.\n\nFor assistance with facility needs, please contact Physical Plant:\n• Albert A. Sheen Campus, St. Croix: (340) 692-4171\n• Orville E. Kean Campus, St. Thomas: (340) 693-1500\n\nUVI will continue to monitor the weather and provide updates to the University community as needed.\n\nStay Alert – For the latest information, visit: www.uvi.edu → Footer → Emergency Preparedness.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.uvi.edu/news/2025/25_119_uvi_resumes.html",
      "sourceDescription": "UVI News Release 25-119: Resumption Sept 25",
      "annotations": [
        "Full official UVI resumption community notice recovered from uvi.edu news release 25-119.",
        "UVI's news-release numbering (25-118, 25-119) is sequential year-prefixed; suspension and resumption announcements are typically published as paired releases",
        "Schools across the USVI also closed Wednesday under Acting Governor Roach's directive"
      ],
      "characterCount": 1159
    }
  ],
  "context": "On Tuesday, September 23, 2025, the National Hurricane Center was [tracking multiple disturbances](https://stthomassource.com/content/2025/09/23/tropical-outlook-nhc-tracks-disturbances-as-puerto-rico-usvi-face-heavy-rain-and-flood-threat/) approaching the Lesser Antilles, with a tropical wave crossing the Leeward Islands that night and reaching Puerto Rico and the USVI the following day. The wave produced torrential rainfall over Puerto Rico and the eastern Dominican Republic; the USVI received less rain than feared but still saw flash-flood warnings issued for both St. Thomas and St. Croix. The [University of the Virgin Islands suspended operations](https://www.uvi.edu/news/2025/25_118_uvi_suspends_all_operations_due_to_expected_weather_september_24.html) on Wednesday, September 24, then [announced normal resumption](https://www.uvi.edu/news/2025/25_119_uvi_resumes.html) for Thursday, September 25. Acting Governor Anthony Roach simultaneously [closed public schools and government offices](https://stthomassource.com/content/2025/09/23/roach-announces-closure-of-public-schools-and-government-offices-wednesday-due-to-inclement-weather/). The disturbance continued west and eventually became [Hurricane Imelda on September 27, 2025](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Imelda), the ninth named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season and the only one of the season's five hurricanes not to become a major hurricane. UVI's decision to close for a tropical wave (rather than a named storm) reflects the territory's vulnerability to flash flooding even from weak Caribbean disturbances.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "UVI suspended operations for a tropical wave that had not yet been classified as a named storm, a flash-flood-focused decision distinct from category-based hurricane closures",
    "The 24-hour suspension paired with a same-week resumption is the modal UVI weather-closure pattern for Caribbean disturbances",
    "The precursor system later became Hurricane Imelda on September 27, demonstrating the value of acting on tropical-wave forecasts rather than waiting for naming"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "UVI Suspends All Operations Due to Expected Inclement Weather on September 24 (UVI News Release 25-118)",
      "url": "https://www.uvi.edu/news/2025/25_118_uvi_suspends_all_operations_due_to_expected_weather_september_24.html",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "UVI Announces Resumption of Classes & Work at Regularly Scheduled Hours on Thursday, September 25 (UVI News Release 25-119)",
      "url": "https://www.uvi.edu/news/2025/25_119_uvi_resumes.html",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "UVI to Resume Normal Classes and Operations on Thursday After Weather-Related Closure (Virgin Islands Consortium)",
      "url": "https://viconsortium.com/mobile/vi-community_center/virgin-islands-uvi-to-resume-normal-classes-and-operations-on-thursday-after-weather-related-closure",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Roach Announces Closure of Public Schools and Government Offices Wednesday Due to Inclement Weather (St. Thomas Source)",
      "url": "https://stthomassource.com/content/2025/09/23/roach-announces-closure-of-public-schools-and-government-offices-wednesday-due-to-inclement-weather/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Tropical Outlook: Schools, Government Offices Closed Wednesday as PR, USVI Face Heavy Rain and Flood Threat (St. Thomas Source)",
      "url": "https://stthomassource.com/content/2025/09/23/tropical-outlook-nhc-tracks-disturbances-as-puerto-rico-usvi-face-heavy-rain-and-flood-threat/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Hurricane Imelda (Wikipedia)",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Imelda",
      "type": "other"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "tropical-wave",
    "flash-flooding",
    "virgin-islands",
    "st-thomas",
    "st-croix",
    "imelda-precursor",
    "one-day-closure",
    "bucs-alert",
    "essential-employees-only"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-14",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-17",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}