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As Texas recovers from Tropical Storm Harvey, Florida is buckling down for Hurricane Irma, a Category 5 storm that has pummeled the Caribbean with record-breaking, 185 mile-per-hour winds in recent days as it approaches the U.S. mainland.
Colleges across the Sunshine State have scheduled to be closed in the coming days. The storm, which has left 10 dead, is expected to reach Florida’s southern and eastern coasts by Sunday. Although it’s likely to be weaker by the time it hits Florida, forecasts are still calling for a Category 4 or Category 5 hurricane.
Among the colleges announcing closures is Flagler College, which closed on Thursday and is set to remain closed through Tuesday. Last year, during Hurricane Matthew, Flagler’s Ponce de Leon Hall -- a historic building originally built as a hotel in 1888 -- suffered flooding. Renovations had taken place just one year before.
Florida Southern College has closed its campus and evacuated students in student housing.
Other colleges closing for the impending storm (see links for dates, as they vary per institution) include the following:
- University of Florida
- University of Miami
- Miami-Dade College
- University of South Florida
- University of Central Florida
- Various Florida State University regional medical campuses
- Florida A&M University’s Tampa campus, law school in Orlando and Brooksville Agricultural and Environmental Research Station
- Florida International University
- Jacksonville University
- St. Thomas University
