The university has provided a list of FAQs regarding Hurricane Helene here.
Updated Saturday, Sept. 28 at 5 p.m. –
The safety of our students, faculty and staff is our highest priority as we reopen our campuses and return to normal business operations following Hurricane Helene.
Based on our latest assessment of conditions on campus, USF St. Petersburg will reopen on Sunday, Sept. 29. On-campus facilities in St. Petersburg will resume normal operating hours on Sunday.
The Piano Man building (PNM), One Fifth Avenue South building (ONE) and Special Services building (SVB) in St. Petersburg remain closed. Plans are being developed to move operations from those three buildings to alternative locations on campus. Further updates on those three facilities will be shared as soon as possible. In addition, please avoid parking on the peninsula near the College of Marine Science to facilitate the ongoing cleanup of debris in the area.
Classes on all campuses will resume on Monday, Sept. 30.
Residence halls on the St. Petersburg campus are expected to reopen at 8 a.m. on Sunday, and dining will reopen at 10 a.m. USF St. Petersburg residential students who evacuated to the Tampa campus before the storm will be returned to St. Petersburg at 10 a.m. Students should meet in Juniper-Poplar Hall room 1319 by 9:30 a.m. to begin boarding buses.
Once the campus reopens, employees should return to work at their regular business hours or at the time their shift normally starts. Faculty members and graduate students can return to their labs once a campus has reopened.
Students or employees who have difficulty traveling to campus due to storm-related issues and won’t be able to return in time for Monday’s classes should notify their instructors or supervisors as soon as possible. Faculty members and supervisors are asked to be patient and understanding with their students and staff during these unique circumstances. Students, faculty and staff are urged to use caution when traveling back to campus.
More information is available through a list of FAQs available here.
Updated Friday, Sept. 27 at 1:15 p.m. –
The University of South Florida continues to monitor the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
The safety of our students, faculty and staff is our highest priority as we learn
of the storm's impacts on our campuses and the Tampa Bay region.
Based on the latest weather information and initial assessments of our facilities,
USF has made the following decisions:
- The USF Tampa and USF Sarasota-Manatee campuses will reopen on Saturday, Sept. 28. Mote Marine Labs remain closed. Updates will be communicated directly with those who use Mote as soon as possible.
- The USF St. Petersburg campus will remain closed through at least Saturday, Sept. 28. An update on whether the campus can reopen on Sunday, Sept. 29, will be provided tomorrow evening.
- Classes on all campuses are still scheduled to resume on Monday, Sept. 30.
- Most USF Health clinical facilities have reopened as of noon on Friday, Sept. 27. However, all clinical operations at the USF Health South Tampa Center for Advanced Healthcare (STC) and 17 Davis Medical Building locations are canceled for Friday, Sept. 27, with plans to reopen Monday, Sept. 30. USF Health patients may call 813-821-8038 to reschedule appointments.
Once a campus reopens, employees should return to work at their regular business hours or at the time their shift normally starts. Faculty members and graduate students can return to their labs once a campus has reopened.
Residence halls and dining services are open on the Tampa and Sarasota-Manatee campuses. Residence halls on the St. Petersburg campus remain closed. USF St. Petersburg residents who relocated to the Tampa campus before the storm should plan to continue to stay on the Tampa campus until at least Sunday afternoon. Updates will be communicated directly with residential students in St. Petersburg.
Students who left the region, or who have difficulty traveling to campus due to storm-related
issues and won’t be able to return in time for Monday’s classes, should notify their
instructors as soon as possible. Employees who left the region, or who have difficulty
traveling to campus due to storm-related issues and won’t be able to return when their
campus reopens, should notify supervisors as soon as possible. Faculty members and
supervisors are asked to be patient and understanding with their students and staff
during these unique circumstances. Students, faculty and staff are urged to use caution
when traveling back to campus.
More information is available through a list of FAQs available here. The FAQs will continue to be updated as needed.
Any additional significant changes to the university’s operating status will be updated via usf.edu, USF’s official social media channels, MyUSF and email.
Updated Friday, Sept. 27 at 10:30 a.m. –
USF continues to monitor Hurricane Helene. The safety of our students, faculty and staff is our highest priority as we track the storm and the impacts to the Tampa Bay region.
All classes are canceled until Monday, Sept. 30. This morning teams are assessing each campus to determine when it will be safe to reopen. We will provide an update on reopening plans this afternoon.
Most USF Health clinical facilities will reopen at noon on Friday, Sept. 27. However, all clinical operations at the USF Health South Tampa Center for Advanced Healthcare (STC) and 17 Davis Medical Building locations are canceled for Friday, Sept. 27, with plans to reopen Monday, Sept. 30. USF Health patients may call 813-821-8038 to reschedule appointments.
Updated Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 11:30 a.m. –
The University of South Florida continues to monitor Hurricane Helene. The safety
of our students, faculty and staff is our highest priority as we track the storm and
the possible impacts to the Tampa Bay region.
Based on the latest weather information, all classes are canceled beginning on Wednesday,
Sept. 25, and will not resume until Monday, Sept. 30.
All USF campuses will be closed beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 25, and will remain
closed through at least Friday, Sept. 27. As of now, we expect to reopen campuses and return to normal business operations (without
classes) on Saturday, Sept. 28. A final decision on the operating status for Saturday,
Sept. 28, will be announced on Friday, Sept. 27.
Only USF employees who are 1) classified as essential personnel or 2) identified by
their supervisors as critical to campus operations should report to work, come to
campus or work remotely while campuses are closed. Non-essential staff or those not
deemed critical to campus operations by their supervisor are not expected to work,
remotely or otherwise, while campuses are closed. Please contact your supervisor if
you are unsure of your status. Please do not return to campus until notified that
it is safe to do so. Supervisors are asked to be patient and understanding with their
employees under the circumstances.
As soon as campuses close, academic and research buildings will move to emergency mode to allow response teams to prepare for impending weather. Once buildings move to emergency mode, only emergency personnel will be permitted to enter until campuses re-open.
For students who live on campus:
- Residence halls on the Tampa and Sarasota-Manatee campuses remain open.
- Residence halls in St. Petersburg will close beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 25.
USF Health clinical facilities will be open on Wednesday, Sept. 25, and will be closed
on Thursday, Sept. 26. A decision about Friday, Sept. 27, has not been made at this
time. USF Health patients may call 813-821-8038 to reschedule their appointments.
We urge students, faculty and staff to plan carefully, follow local weather reports,
and monitor updates from county and state emergency management officials. The USF Hurricane Guide also serves as a valuable resource for the university community.
USF leadership will continue to monitor the storm and provide additional updates as
needed. Any significant updates regarding changes to normal business operations will
be shared via www.usf.edu, USF’s official social media channels, MyUSF and email.
Updated Monday, Sept. 23 at 3 p.m. –
The University of South Florida is monitoring the tropical system in the Caribbean Sea and any possible impacts to the Tampa Bay region. The safety of students, faculty and staff is our highest priority as we track the storm.
The USF community is encouraged to prepare their personal hurricane plans, review the USF Hurricane Guide and monitor weather reports.
At this time, classes and normal business operations are continuing as scheduled. Updates will be shared via usf.edu, USF’s official social media channels, MyUSF and email.