To: American University Community

From: Doug Kudravetz, CFO, Vice President and Treasurer

Subject: Hurricane Florence Preparations

As most of you know, Hurricane Florence is headed toward the East Coast of the U.S. We will continue to monitor the storm’s progress and prepare for it. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has declared a state of emergency in the District, as have Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan. While it is not certain when and where it will make landfall and what its effect may be, we are focused on the safety and well-being of the AU community and we will adjust schedules and operations as needed.

While we are preparing for the storm, our thoughts are with those who have loved ones in the areas likely to be impacted by the storm.

We also want to make sure everyone in the AU community is safe, understands the university’s weather operating policies, and is familiar with our methods of communication. To make sure that you receive all AU weather-related or emergency communications, please:

• Ensure that your cell phone number, cell phone carrier, and email address are correct in the Rave Emergency Communication system (AU guests can also register here);
• Follow the AU Alerts Twitter account or look for updates on the AU Facebook page, AU Twitter account, the AU web site home page, or call our general information line at 202-885-1100; and
• Install AlertUS, a program that displays emergency alerts on your computer. It can be installed on computers running Mac or Windows operating systems.

If you have general questions about emergency preparedness at American University, you also can send an email to prepared@american.edu. We have weather-related safety tips on the AU Emergency Preparedness web site, where you can make sure you are prepared by following the university’s guidelines on emergency procedures, charging your cell phone, avoiding high water walking or in a car, and having plenty of batteries and water on hand.

Our AU Safety and Security Services staff will be available and can assist in an emergency situation. For an on-campus emergency, call x3636 or use the Rave Guardian app on your smartphone.

Our Facilities staff will be working. Currently, they are in the process of preparing buildings and systems and will be available to address facility-related problems. If you encounter a facilities problem, please call 2FIX (x2349).

We also recommend monitoring federal government web sites to track information about Hurricane Florence. These include:

• Ready.gov hurricanes web site (the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA); and
• The National Hurricane Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA).

We do expect the university to be open this week for general operations, classes, and scheduled events. However, that may change, and campus officials will communicate changes as necessary. We will continue to monitor Hurricane Florence closely and will make decisions about university operations based on the severity of the storm and its impact to our university.