Our staff and faculty at Fork Union Military Academy are staying informed of weather forecasts and we are preparing for Hurricane Dorian.
We have a Crisis Response Team and a Crisis & Emergency Operations Plan established to deal with severe weather events, natural disasters, and other hazardous circumstances or events affecting our campus. This team meets regularly to review, update, and conduct drills of our plan.
Storm Preparations
Over the past century, Fork Union Military Academy has dealt with many such storms and we are well-drilled in dealing with potentially destructive weather conditions. Fork Union is not located within a hurricane or evacuation zone and is not in a flood plain or low-lying area. The primary problems experienced on campus with such storms is the potential for loss of power due to high winds and heavy rains.
In 2003, the campus took a direct hit from the powerful Hurricane Isabel, leaving the campus without external power supply for a period of days. Life on campus continued in a remarkably normal manner, and classes continued to meet as scheduled.
If necessary, Fork Union Military Academy has a plan in place should any event require relocation of our cadets and staff. In our more than 120 years of operation, relocation has never been required.
Monitoring the Storm’s Path
As you can see from the tracking map below, Dorian will make landfall far to the south of Virginia and Tropical Storm Erin is passing well to our east over the Atlantic Ocean. At worst, Fork Union is expected only to receive additional rains and winds in the week ahead similar to those experienced with our usual powerful summer thunderstorms.
Prepared for Power Loss
The campus has onsite generators to keep electricity flowing to critical infrastructure, and maintenance staff keep a close eye on tree limbs that need to be removed and other potential hazards in advance of predicted high winds.
Jacobson Hall, our Upper School barracks, was constructed with a building generator capable of powering the entire building, with full service to the first floor and all bathroom facilities, and emergency lighting and service to the upper floors.
Larry McIlnay, Director of Food Services, has ordered in extra supplies of bottled water, canned goods, and topped off the fuel tanks for the generators.
Keep an Eye on the Campus
You can keep an eye on weather conditions on campus at any time with the Skyline Network weathercam we have mounted high atop Hatcher Hall for use by our local television stations. You can see the view looking almost due west from the top of our central administration building at https://www.cbs19news.com/weather/skyline.
We’ll Keep You Posted
If anything significant changes – we’ll keep you updated.
Do you need to prepare?
The Federal Emergency Management Agency offers a helpful booklet with tips on preparing for a hurricane. There is a good checklist on page 11 of the booklet that might be helpful for the many FUMA families that life within the predicted cone of the upcoming hurricane.
Download the FEMA "How to Prepare for a Hurricane" Publication
