How NSU prepares for hurricanes

By Isabelle Moreno •

For students like Liv Zolk, senior communication major and sports editor and reporter for Mako TV, the university’s guidance has been essential in preparing for potential hurricane disasters. Originally from Philadelphia, Zolk said she panicked during her first hurricane experience in Florida her freshman year.

“At home, a storm is just wind and rain for a day. Down here, I didn’t know if we were going to flood or have to evacuate,” Zolk said. “I just listened to whatever the school told us.”

Seth Mangasarian, director of the Physical Plant in the Office of Facilities Management, said in preparing for hurricanes on campus, the office has to ensure the safety of the university.

“Our first response is making sure the campus itself is safe,” Mangasarian said. “That means walking all of the roofs to secure equipment and bringing anything outside—mats, garbage cans, tables, umbrellas—inside, so it doesn’t become a flying object.”

Before a hurricane intensifies close to the campus, the Office of Facilities Management meets with NSU executives, including Dr. Harry K. Moon, president and CEO of Nova Southeastern University, to decide the opportune time to take action, Mangasarian said.

“Seventy-two hours out is really a trigger point for us when we are trying to figure out, if [the campus is] going to close,” Mangasarian said.

As a hurricane approaches, the university sends out warnings and updates through NSU Alert.

Mangasarian encourages students to have personal hurricane plans to help make their evacuations smooth, with the Center for Collaborative Research acting as a hurricane shelter.

“We want during the storm for everyone to leave,” Mangasarian said. “The goal would be for everyone to leave. You don’t want to be here.”

Also, Mangasarian said the campus is divided into four zones, so Facilities Management can divide and focus on resuming on-campus operations.

“The building managers are orchestrating what is happening inside their zones, and so they are making sure that we [have] all the items in their zones,” Mangasarian said. “We are identifying where we are putting it, so we can put it back in the same location when we take it back up.”

The Office of Facilities Management is looking to reduce the amount of time it takes them to prepare by learning from previous post-storm activities, Mangasarian added.

“Everyone on my team is with a public safety officer because the buildings are in lockdown during the storm, Mangasarian said. “So after a storm, we do a full assessment walk through of every building top to bottom. [We] make sure there [are] no dangers.”

For residential students who have a cars on campus, Zolk said to prepare ahead of time for possible evacuations.

“So if I know that it is coming, I will go make sure my car is full of gas,” Zolk said.

Isabelle Moreno, senior,  is a contributing writer for The Current.

For more information:
Follow the link for NSU’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan
https://www.nova.edu/public-safety/cemp.html