Hurricane Irene Disaster Relief - Carolina Center for Public Service

Hurricane Irene Disaster Relief Information

Views of the effects of Hurricane Irene in North Carolina.

A Campus Message from Chancellor Thorp

Monday, Aug. 29, 2011

Dear Carolina Students, Faculty and Staff:

We were spared from major impact from Hurricane Irene here in Chapel Hill, but the residents of North Carolina’s coastal communities were not. Our thoughts are with those across the state who have been hit hardest by Hurricane Irene.

Some of those residents are our students, who may still be helping their families recover from the hurricane today. This is a reminder that the Dean of Students Office is ready and able to help students in an emergency situation such as this to make arrangements with faculty regarding missed classes and assignments, as well as to access emergency funds and other helpful resources. Call the office at (919) 966-4042.

Our Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City weathered the storm and is back in operation, although currently without air conditioning in one building. Our Institute for the Environment reports no damage to its offices at the Coastal Studies Institute or to the student housing in Manteo, but some of the housing used in Morehead City is still without power. We are checking in at the coastal locations of other UNC offices to identify any students, faculty and staff directly affected. Staff members are also establishing contact with North Carolina communities and our sister institutions that were in Irene’s path to find out what they need.

To best determine how we can help, I have asked the North Carolina Institute for Public Health and the Carolina Center for Public Service to coordinate our campus efforts and to serve as a centralized source of information. They are working with Extended Disaster Relief and the Campus Y to determine how we can best respond. Please check the website at ccps.unc.edu for information and share information about relief efforts with the Center by emailing ccps@unc.edu.

We do know that volunteers will be needed to help in the recovery in the short term and in the months to come, and plans are underway to incorporate that help into existing research activities and scheduled alternative fall break service trips in the coastal areas. We also anticipate that coastal residents will need money and other essential items. As we determine what those needs are and what other relief efforts are underway, we will share that information on the website and through our UNC Facebook page.