{ "id": "2022-09-27-usf-st-petersburg-hurricane-ian", "slug": "usf-st-petersburg-hurricane-ian-2022-09-27", "institution": { "name": "University of South Florida St. Petersburg", "shortName": "USFSP", "state": "FL", "type": "public-r1", "alertSystemName": "MoBull / USF Alert", "enrollment": 4400 }, "incident": { "date": "2022-09-27", "endDate": "2022-10-02", "type": "hurricane", "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification", "headline": "County evacuation order closes waterfront dorms; students bused to another campus", "headlinePublic": "County evacuation order closes waterfront dorms; students bused to another campus", "summary": "Triggered by [Pinellas County's mandatory evacuation order](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Ian) ahead of [Hurricane Ian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Ian), USF St. Petersburg closed its waterfront residence halls at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, September 27, 2022 and bused students who couldn't leave town to USF's Tampa campus. The cross-campus relocation [worked](https://www.stpetersburg.usf.edu/news/2022/update-for-residential-students-regarding-hurricane-ian.aspx) because USF operates as a single university across three Tampa-area campuses post-2020 consolidation.", "outcome": "Campus closed September 27 through October 2. All residential students relocated to Tampa or evacuated home. USFSP escaped serious damage as Ian tracked south. Classes resumed October 3.", "resolution": "confirmed-threat" }, "alerts": [ { "sequence": 1, "type": "initial", "timestampApprox": "September 26, 2022, evening — Pinellas evacuation triggers campus closure", "channel": "email", "verbatimText": "Dear USF St. Petersburg campus residents,\n\nI'm sure you have been following the news about Hurricane Ian. I know that many of you have made plans to shelter with family or friends, and others are finalizing their preparations now. If you have not already done so, please check in via email at stp-housing@usf.edu so that we can keep track of your whereabouts. Your safety is our top priority, and we want to ensure you have someplace safe to stay during the storm.\n\nDue to the mandatory evacuation order from Pinellas County, our residence halls are closing at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27. You will be notified via email and on USF.edu when it will be safe to return. Please do not attempt to come back before you have been notified. We want to ensure your safety.\n\nIf you need someplace to stay, we are relocating residents who need assistance to the Tampa campus.\n\n• A bus will leave from outside the USC at 9 a.m. Tuesday to transport you to the Tampa campus. Meet at the USC no later than 8:45 a.m. Email stp-housing@usf.edu to reserve your space.\n• We are working to provide cots, but if you have a sleeping bag and other bedding, you should bring that with you.\n• Your meal plan will work on the Tampa campus.\n• Please note, pets are not allowed so those with emotional support animals must make alternative arrangements.\n\nWhen leaving our residence halls, you should bring essential supplies for approximately four to six days, including:\n\n• Student ID, government ID/passport, insurance card\n• Clothes\n• Medications\n• Bathroom supplies\n• Bedding material\n• Cell phone, electronics and chargers\n• Any preferred snacks\n\nPlease keep a close eye on your email and the home page of USF.edu. Those will be your best sources of information both during and after the storm.\n\nWe know this situation is stressful and we want to be as supportive as possible during this challenging time. Please don't hesitate to reach out to our Housing and Residential Education team at stp-housing@usf.edu if you have questions, concerns or need anything at all.", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "sourceUrl": "https://www.stpetersburg.usf.edu/news/2022/update-for-residential-students-regarding-hurricane-ian.aspx", "sourceDescription": "USF St. Petersburg: Update for residential students regarding Hurricane Ian", "annotations": [ "Full official Dear-residents housing/evacuation community message recovered from stpetersburg.usf.edu.", "Closure triggered by Pinellas County order, not university decision -- alerts amplify county action", "Cross-campus bus to Tampa -- distinctive USF-system advantage post-consolidation" ], "characterCount": 2042 }, { "sequence": 2, "type": "update", "timestampApprox": "September 27, 2022 — campus-wide closure across USF system", "channel": "sms", "verbatimText": "", "isVerbatimConfirmed": false, "sourceUrl": "https://www.usf.edu/news/2022/usf-hurricane-ian-faqs.aspx", "sourceDescription": "USF News — Hurricane Ian FAQs", "annotations": [] }, { "sequence": 3, "type": "all-clear", "timestampApprox": "October 2, 2022 — return advisory", "channel": "email", "verbatimText": "", "isVerbatimConfirmed": false, "sourceUrl": "https://www.usf.edu/news/2022/usf-community-continues-to-provide-support-to-those-impacted-by-hurricane-ian.aspx", "sourceDescription": "USF News — Community support after Ian", "annotations": [] } ], "context": "[USF St. Petersburg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_South_Florida_St._Petersburg) is on a low-lying waterfront site that sits inside [Pinellas County Evacuation Zone A](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Ian) -- the highest-priority surge zone in the county. When Ian was forecast as a Tampa Bay direct hit early in its life, Pinellas issued a mandatory evacuation, and USFSP's residence halls had no choice but to close. The cross-campus relocation to USF Tampa became possible only because of the [July 2020 USF consolidation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_South_Florida), which merged the Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota-Manatee campuses into a single accredited university. Before consolidation, moving St. Pete students to Tampa would have raised housing-license, FERPA, and Title IX issues that the unified-USF structure resolved. The system-wide alert that addresses three campuses with three different sets of geographic instructions in one message is a distinctive USF artifact that no other Florida public university produces. Ian ultimately tracked south and devastated [Lee and Charlotte counties](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Ian); USFSP escaped serious damage. Classes resumed October 3.", "keyFindings": [ "County evacuation orders (Pinellas Zone A) trigger campus alerts -- the local-government chain of command above the institution", "Post-2020 consolidation enabled cross-campus relocation that earlier USF structure could not", "Single alert addressing three campuses with three different geographic instructions", "Symmetric evacuation/return bus logistics with named pickup points and times", "Post-storm counseling support for students whose homes were in the actual landfall zone (SW Florida)" ], "sources": [ { "title": "Update for USF St. Petersburg Campus Residential Students Regarding Hurricane Ian", "url": "https://www.stpetersburg.usf.edu/news/2022/update-for-residential-students-regarding-hurricane-ian.aspx", "type": "official-archive" }, { "title": "USF Hurricane Ian FAQs", "url": "https://www.usf.edu/news/2022/usf-hurricane-ian-faqs.aspx", "type": "official-archive" }, { "title": "Hurricane Ian recovery — USF community support", "url": "https://www.usf.edu/news/2022/usf-community-continues-to-provide-support-to-those-impacted-by-hurricane-ian.aspx", "type": "official-archive" }, { "title": "USF geoscientists deploy to study evacuation behavior ahead of Hurricane Ian", "url": "https://www.usf.edu/news/2022/usf-geoscientists-deploy-to-study-evacuation-behavior-ahead-of-hurricane-ian.aspx", "type": "official-archive" }, { "title": "Hurricane | USF Emergency Management", "url": "https://www.usf.edu/public-safety/emergency-management/hazards/hurricane.aspx", "type": "official-archive" } ], "confidence": "high", "tags": [ "hurricane", "weather", "ian", "florida", "st-petersburg", "pinellas-county", "cross-campus-relocation", "evacuation-zone-a", "public-r1", "consolidation" ], "dateAdded": "2026-05-03", "lastUpdated": "2026-07-17", "addedBy": "ingestion" }