Business Affairs Departments Unite to weather turbulent hurricane season
Every year, hurricane season brings new challenges to the UF community. This year was no different, with three major hurricanes, Debby, Helene, and Milton, disrupting campus operations. Throughout those turbulent days and nights many of our Business Affairs staff worked tirelessly to help ensure the safety and wellbeing of our community.
From pre-storm planning to post-storm recovery, departments such as Emergency Management, the University Police Department, Environmental Health & Safety, the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, and Business Services partnered with colleagues across campus to play crucial roles in keeping the UF community safe during the storms.
“I am so proud of and grateful to all our team members who helped our campus prepare for these storms and recover from them,” said Brandi Renton, Interim Vice President for Business Affairs. “While hurricanes will always be unpredictable, it is comforting to know that we can rely on our dedicated professionals from UPD, EH&S, Emergency Management, Dining Services, and many others to guide us.”
Hurricane preparedness begins with Emergency Management, who monitors activity during hurricane season. Once a National Hurricane Center forecast includes a portion of the state, Emergency Management gets to work briefing the Emergency Operations Team, who represent key operational departments at UF. Those daily briefings help create cohesive messaging for the university, so it can act and speak with one voice in preparing and responding to the storm.
Another department included in the briefings is Environmental Health & Safety. Through the briefings, EH&S can get a head start on hurricane planning by working with labs around campus to ensure they have their equipment ready and prepared for different scenarios that could arise from the storm.
Similar to EH&S, the O’Connell Center undergoes pre-storm preparations to keep the building and potential users of the building safe from the storm. Once a storm threat is determined, staff discuss building preparation plans and communicates potential impacts on users before the building is secured for the storm. After the storm rolls through, essential staff begin an on-site evaluation of any damage inside or outside the buidling.
Event during the storms, Florida Fresh Dining kept students on campus fed and hydrated by prepping and serving over 1,000 boxed lunches and providing over 3,000 water bottles to those who stayed on campus. Florida Fresh Dining went above and beyond during Hurricane Milton when the Southwest Rec Center was used as a shelter. During the storm, they provided staff and guests with plenty of food to get them through the storm and enough to last a few days in case the building became inaccessible.
UPD also played a major part in keeping the campus safe and free of debris. During overnight patrols, several UPD officers canvassed the campus to locate downed limbs and other roadway debris. After Hurricane Helene knocked down Norman Hall’s ancient oak tree, officers helped survey the area and assisted Facilites Services in cleaning it up.
“The response and collaboration between our officers and Facilites Services has been phenomenal this hurricane season,” said Bart Knowles, Deputy Chief, UPD. “Everyone has given their all this hurricane season to respond quickly and efficiently to clear roadways and other debris to ensure we can get the campus back up and running as quickly as possible.”
Through the combines efforts of various Business Affairs departments and many others, the UF community remained safe and was able to resume daily operations with minimal disruptions.
