Hurricane Idalia
Source/Author: Nancy L. Spencer, Head of School
September 01, 2023
Weather was topic #1 this week, with all of us dealing with the impact of Hurricane Idalia.
The Shorecrest sense of community comes through in full force in times such as this. I have heard numerous stories of many families who reached out to others, to ensure that all Chargers had a safe place to stay and to offer help during the clean-up afterwards. Hurricanes are a fact of life in Florida and we strive to manage the impact on the Shorecrest community as best as possible.
Leading up to and immediately after severe weather, the Administrative Team meets on a regular and frequent basis to assess the situation. We use established processes and protocols to guide our response to an emergency situation. We monitor the facts closely. While acknowledging uncertainty, we strive to make reasonable and practical decisions in the best interest of the School, and to communicate quickly and broadly. With an appropriate amount of caution, we consider the timing of our decisions so that families who are required or choose to evacuate have ample time to do so. Multiple channels are employed to communicate with members of our community and to get the message out via text, email and social media.
We use the time before a hurricane is slated to hit to prepare the campus. Our tremendous facilities crew spent many hours this past Tuesday securing buildings and outdoor property.
After the event, we evaluate the state of the buildings and grounds and determine the accessibility to our campus. This time around, there was no damage to the campus, no loss of power and minimal flooding. There was, however, limited access to the campus due to street flooding throughout the day on Wednesday. Many families did not have access to their own homes and could not return until after the flooding receded.
As hurricane season continues, we will maintain our approach to severe weather. Our goal is to be as prepared as possible, stay focused on the needs of our community and proceed in a cautious manner to ensure the safety of our families.
Looking ahead, I hope that everyone enjoys the long Labor Day Weekend!
All the best,
Nancy
