We continue to closely monitor weather forecasts as Hurricane Dorian approaches the Atlantic Coast of the United States. While predictions are that the storm may intensify and become a powerful hurricane, the models all indicate that the storm will make landfall in central Florida, which is well over 650 miles (over 1,000 km) from Fork Union Military Academy. Current rainfall forecasts published by the National Hurricane Center predict that Fork Union may not even receive additional rainfall from this storm.

Our 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. 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.

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 met earlier this week to review our plan.

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. 

You Can 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 Continue to 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 live within the predicted track of the hurricane.

Download the FEMA "How to Prepare for a Hurricane" Publication