Alachua County Public Schools announced Tuesday morning all offices and schools will be closed Wednesday through Friday in preparation for Hurricane Ian. Extracurricular activities are also canceled.
Normal school operations are set to resume Monday, Oct. 3 as long as facilities remain safe and functional following the storm, according to ACPS’ announcement.
Ian is a Category 3 hurricane, sustaining 125 mph winds as of Tuesday morning. Its current projected trajectory is moving up Florida’s West Coast.
ACPS campuses may be used as storm shelters, spokesperson Jackie Johnson said, but more information on which ones is forthcoming. If seeking shelter in one of these locations, the county recommends visitors bring their own bedding, special dietary foods, prescription medications, clothing, identification and other personal items the shelter will not provide.
In preparation for the storm, the National Hurricane Center recommends stocking enough non-perishable food items and water to last up to three days.
The NHC also recommends including first-aid kits, flashlights with extra batteries, a battery-operated radio waterproof container for important identification and documents into a hurricane preparedness kit.
Contact Sophia Bailly at sbailly@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @sophia_bailly.
Sophia Bailly is the Fall 2024 University Editor. She interned for The Times-Picayune in Louisiana this past summer as a Capitol News Bureau reporter. When she's not reading the news, she can be found listening to podcasts, going for a run or studying Russian.