Be“Owl Ready” for Hurricane Season

The 2021 hurricane season officially begins today. Now is the time to ensure you are prepared for a possible tropical weather event. In the age of COVID-19, emergency management officials have re-evaluated existing plans to account for needed changes. 

Receiving or Accessing Information
The safety of students, faculty and staff is our top concern. Should a tropical storm or hurricane approach any FAU campus, the University will disseminate important information through a variety of communication platforms, including email, phone calls, text messages, social media, and updates posted to FAU webpages, such as the University advisory page.

To ensure you receive the latest information via phone or text message in the event of an emergency, please take a few minutes to verify your emergency contact information is up to date by visiting the FAU Alerts page, under the “How Do I Sign Up?” section. To ensure that you recognize FAU Alert phone calls, save 888-832-8695 (888-8FAUOWL) as the “FAU Alert” number to your phone. 

If a storm threatens our area, the National Hurricane Center will issue advisories, including watches and warnings, to their website.

Planning and Preparedness
Preparation is key to remaining safe if a hurricane or tropical storm affects our area. Make sure you are ready for a possible tropical weather event by having an emergency plan in place for yourself, your family, your pets and your home, and create an emergency kit. Some of the supplies and provisions you might need in an emergency are already scarce due to COVID-19 and may be more difficult to obtain if a storm approaches. Prepare now so you will be ready.

• Be Prepared, Be Safe, Be Owl Ready! Download the Owl Ready app, FAU’s premier preparedness and safety app today! This unique app features emergency guides, including tropical storm and hurricane guidance, turns your phone into a mobile blue light, gives you emergency contacts at your fingertips, provides multiple ways to report a safety/security concern directly to FAU, and a host of other tools. 
  
  
• In addition to the Owl Ready app, information on preparing for, responding to, and recovering from hurricanes, such as unit emergency planning, creating emergency kits, and FAU action guides on weather events, including hurricanes, is available on FAU’s Emergency Management website.
  
  
• Resident students on the Boca Raton and Jupiter campuses can access the University Housing Hurricane Guide. Please work with your area office to inform them of your hurricane plan or for assistance in developing one.
  
  
• This is the time for all University units to have reviewed and updated emergency plans. Both essential and non-essential personnel play key roles preparing for, responding to, and recovering from hurricanes. Please discuss these roles and expectations with those who have emergency duties.
  
  
• Information on the essential personnel program can be found here. Information addressing contracted service providers who perform essential duties on behalf of the University can be found  here.
  
  
• For more information and guidance on hurricane preparedness, visit the National Weather Service.

Please contact Emergency Management at 561-297-4587 or em@fau.edu with any questions. The safety of our students, faculty, and staff is our top priority. Let’s Be Prepared, Be Safe, Be Owl Ready!