Posted: Aug. 29, 4:05 p.m.

Updated reports show that Erika has broken up and is no longer a tropical storm. There are no planned closings for USF and there are no storm-related clinical closings planned for Monday. While there is only a slight chance the storm could return to tropical storm strength, there will likely be heavy rain, which may cause some traffic delays and road closures. USF Health students, faculty and staff should allow for extra travel time if the area is impacted by inclement weather. Watch local forecasts for road closures that may impact your commute.

Posted: Aug. 28, 3:30 p.m.

With the advancement of Tropical Storm Erika and the predicted path of this storm, it is important you are aware of emergency closing procedures and notifications.  The USFPG Department of Human Resources recently updated their emergency contact list so key staff in each department can be contacted if decisions are made outside of normal business hours. USF Health clinical facilities will follow the university’s decisions and protocol, but please pay attention to announcements from your department regarding specific instances of clinics or care for patients. Remember that many of our patients may be confused by schedule changes and closures.

It’s important to remind you that a USF closure does not necessarily mean that clinical facilities are closing.  Below are the various ways that you can access closure information specific to UMSA and MSSC employees.

• Employees should call (813) 974-0010 for closure information specific to UMSA and MSSC employees.
• UMSA Administration will post emergency closing directives from on Sharepoint  and USFPG HR may have emergency procedures for your worksite posted at https://my.usfhealth.usf.edu/usfpg/.
• The media will be informed to provide closure information for USF clinical facilities or UMSA/MSSC.
• WUSF-FM Radio 89.7 will also have updates.
• Staff assigned to patient care activities at a hospital or other institution should follow the emergency staffing plan of that institution unless informed otherwise by their Department Head.
• The issue of “closing” an entity as large as USF is complex, because different parts of the university will remain open even if classes and business operations are suspended. If you need access to university buildings during an emergency closing, make sure your chair/dean knows that.

All employees should pay close attention to email notifications and keep communication lines open with the department’s management over the next few days.

For information about campus-wide closings, please visit www.usf.edu.