Storm Updates Archive (Oct. 26-30)

No university events will be held.

Only essential personnel should report on Wednesday. A determination on whether the university will be open for all staff will be made following an evaluation of the power situation on Wednesday evening. Please call 610-758-NEWS for updates or check www.lehigh.edu

Staff members who are able to volunteer during daytime business hours should contact Pat Mann at 484-553-5262 or 610-217-9273.

This is an extraordinary situation. The storm that impacted the Northeast caused extensive damage and significant outages and Lehigh was no exception. Our communication with power provider PPL indicates that we will not have power for an extended period of time. Our crisis and operations teams are monitoring the situation around the clock and are doing all that we can to make sure our students are safe.

There are still a number of downed trees, so students to are urged to use caution when walking an and off campus.

We encourage any student who can travel home safely to do so. Please travel with caution and make sure your route is clear. We also ask you to contact your parents to let them know of your plans to leave campus.

Over the course of the next few days, there will be limited services:

DINING: The Cort Dining Room will remain open to serve students with a meal plan with light meals. Hours will be 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday. Hours for Wednesday will be 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for brunch and 4:30 to 6 p.m. for dinner

Off-campus students can pick up a Meal Ready-to-Eat (MRE) in the Windish Hall parking lot across from the Rauch Business Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday. Please be prepared to show Lehigh student ID card.

RESIDENCE HALLS: All students in on campus residences should not relocate to other buildings at this time.. They will be informed by their Gryphons, and Residence Life and Residential Services staff if and when it might become necessary to relocate them.

TRANSPORTATION: There are no buses running today.

BUILDING ACCESS: All academic buildings are closed to anyone, but those with key or swipe card access to those buildings.

PARKING: Students who moved their cars into parking garages and onto the Mountaintop lots do NOT have to remove them today. The cars can remain in the lots until 5 p.m. Sunday.

HEALTH CENTER: The Center will remain closed until further notice. An emergency physician is on call when the office is closed, and students with a medical emergency can reach the clinical staff by calling the Campus Police at 610-758-4200.

We will continue to provide updates at www.lehigh.edu. Please check Lehigh email regularly for further information. Updates will also be posted at 610-758-NEWS (610-758-6397) and on the university’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LehighU and on Twitter @LehighUNews.


Current weather models have Hurricane Sandy heading for the Lehigh Valley, with the anticipated peak of intensity taking place between 6 p.m. and midnight tonight. We urge all members of the Lehigh community to exercise extreme caution during this storm, which is expected to bring heavy rains and strong winds.

Classes have been cancelled for Tuesday, October 30th and all university events have been cancelled. Only essential personnel are required to report to work on Tuesday.

Our administration, operations, student services and facilities crews are monitoring the situation closely and we have done all that we can to prepare for the storm and to keep our students safe. Crews will be working around the clock to maintain essential services.

Earlier, we communicated information on student services (for more details, please go to www.lehigh.edu). We have plans in place to provide dining services, transportation and access to campus buildings. We will be evaluating this situation early tomorrow morning (Tuesday, October 30th) to assess any damage from the storm, and will provide an update to the campus community mid-morning.

At this point, Lehigh expects to return to a normal class and operating schedule on Wednesday, October 31st. We will post updated information on the Lehigh website at www.lehigh.edu.

Students who have opted to stay on campus are asked to register with the office of residential services through this link.

Here are updates on other campus services:

FOOD: Rathbone and Cort Dining Room are open for on-campus dining for meal plan patrons until 7 p.m. Monday. All other facilities are closed Monday and Tuesday. Members of fraternities and sororities should continue to eat at their chapter houses.

PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION: Students remaining on campus can park their cars in one of the garages on the Asa Packer Campus, even if they do not have a permit. The gates are lifted and will remain so through Tuesday. If the garages are full, students can park their cars on the Mountaintop Campus and take the regular Mountaintop shuttle back to campus.

The shuttle will be picking up students at the regular stop (under the overpass by Iacocca Hall). If students plan on moving their cars, they are asked to do so by 3 p.m. today. After that time, the Mountaintop bus shuttle will no longer be running. No bus service is running today, except for the Mountaintop shuttle service, which is ONLY running from 11 a.m. to 3p.m. There will be no TRACS service this evening.

Assuming weather conditions permit, students MUST remove their cars from these locations and park in their normal designated locations by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 30th. Any changes to this policy will be communicated in campus updates.

HEALTH CENTER SERVICES: The Health Center is open Monday, October 29th, but expects to close early (by 2 p.m.). The Health Center is contacting patients scheduled for appointments later today and early tomorrow to let them know of their options for rescheduling. Dr. Susan Kitei will be on call through Tuesday evening. Weather permitting, the Health Center will have normal operating hours on Tuesday. Updated information on Health Center hours will be communicated in follow-up messages to the campus community.

BUILDING ACCESS: All campus buildings will be closed by 3 p.m. Monday and will not reopen before 9 a.m. Tuesday. Residents will continue to have access to their residence halls through their swipe cards.

Please be careful.

The brunt of the storm is expected in the Lehigh Valley between the early evening hours today and tomorrow morning. Please make every effort to remain inside and to take general safety precautions such as closing residence windows, carrying ID and keys at all times, and charging cell phones fully.

Should Lehigh experience a power outage, additional instructions will be communicated directly to the campus community by way of Gryphons and other communication channels.

Please continue to check www.lehigh.edu and check Lehigh email regularly for further information and to sign up to receive LU-ALERTS. Anyone who is not registered to receive LU-ALERTs can do so at:
www.lehigh.edu/lu-alert

Updates will also be posted at 610-758-NEWS (610-758-6397) and on the university’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/lehighu and on Twitter: @LehighUNews.

To speak to a Lehigh representative with specific questions and concerns, please call 610-758-1000 between noon and 5 p.m. Monday, October 29th.

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WEATHER EMERGENCY UPDATE
Sunday, October 28, 2012, 9:30 p.m.

All classes at Lehigh University will be cancelled for Monday, October 29th, and Tuesday, October 30th. Only essential personnel are required to report to work. All scheduled university events will be cancelled.

Due to the increasingly severe weather forecast of Hurricane Sandy and possible power outages, all classes for Monday and Tuesday will be cancelled.

Students are encouraged to consult with their families and travel home if they can do so safely. Students who must remain in on-campus housing (residence halls or fraternity/sorority facilities) throughout the storm are asked to register using the following link to inform Residential Services staff: Student On Campus Emergency Registration Form.

At this point, Lehigh expects to return to a normal class and operating schedule on Wednesday, October 31st. We will post updated information on the Lehigh website at www.lehigh.edu.

Anyone who is not registered to receive LU-ALERTs can do so at http://www4.lehigh.edu/emergency/prepared/default.aspx

All classes at Lehigh University will be cancelled for Monday, October 29th, and Tuesday, October 30th. Only essential personnel are required to report to work. All scheduled university events will be cancelled.

Due to the increasingly severe weather forecast of Hurricane Sandy and possible power outages, all classes for Monday and Tuesday will be cancelled.


Anyone who is not registered to receive LU-ALERTs can do so athttp://www4.lehigh.edu/emergency/prepared/default.aspx

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The following story was posted on Friday, Oct. 26, at 5 p.m.

In anticipation of a powerful storm coming up the East Coast, please be assured that Lehigh administrators are taking precautions and monitoring the potential impact on our campus and our region.

• Be sure to use caution and good judgment if you need to be outside during periods of heavy rain or high winds.
• Ensure your cell phones are fully charged by this weekend.
• Prepare for a possible power outage by having flashlights and extra batteries. Keep in mind that you cannot use candles or open flames in campus buildings. For fire safety reasons, off campus students should not use candles or open flames.
• Ensure windows and doors remain closed during the storm. Students in residence halls should seek necessary assistance from Gryphons on your floor. Those students living in fraternity or sorority houses should seek assistance from the individuals in charge of your house.
• In cases of extreme emergency—such as reporting a fire, crime or medical emergency—please call the Lehigh University Police Department at 610-758-4200.
• Please share information and updates with your parents and encourage them to go to www.lehigh.edu for official updates and information from the university.

Pat Farrell, provost and vice president for academic affairs