The time for hurricane preparedness is now.

Although summer does not officially begin until June 20, we are already in hurricane season, which began on June 1.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Weather Service forecasters predict above-normal hurricane activity in the Atlantic basin this year. NOAA's outlook for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season predicts an 85% chance of an above-normal season with a range of four to seven major hurricanes (winds of 111 mph or higher). Forecasters have a 70% confidence in these ranges.

The above-normal activity will be due to a confluence of factors, including near-record warm ocean temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, development of La Nina conditions in the Pacific, and reduced Atlantic trade winds and less wind shear.

What does this mean for those of us living along the Gulf Coast? We should strive to be the heroes of our own stories—just like the Ant in the famed Aesop fable "The Ant and the Grasshopper"—and plan ahead. (The Ant works all summer to save food for the winter while the Grasshopper plays. As you can imagine, things don't go so well for the Grasshopper come winter.)

The time to prepare for a hurricane is before one is heading this way. None of us will want to worry about work or school if we hear a hurricane is approaching, so take care of a few simple things at UHD as soon as you can. That way you can focus on what really matters: your home and family.

Current Personal Contact Information

The entire campus community will want to make sure their UHD contact information is up to date in order to receive timely information from the university in case of campus closures.

  • Employees may access and update their telephone numbers, email addresses, and emergency contacts by logging into the PeopleSoft P.A.S.S. system.
  • Students may update their cell phone number and personal email address through MyUHD.

Campus Preparation

Employees should check with their supervisors on the protocol for prepping their offices before leaving campus in case of a pending hurricane. Generally, staff and faculty will:

  • Move their computers and printers away from windows and cover them with plastic (large trash bags work great!).
  • Close the doors to their offices as they exit.

To prepare at home for a hurricane, check out the U.S. Centers for Disease Contral and Prevention's recommendations. In general, be sure you have the food, water, medical, and power source supplies you need on hand and don't forget about important documents and your pets.

Come this summer, we all want to be ants, not grasshoppers.