In this NASA Earth Observatory image acquired Thursday, Aug. 25, “bands of thunderstorms spiral tightly around a dense center, forming the circular shape of a well-developed hurricane,” according to the NASA Earth Observatory website. Photo from NASA Earth Observatory.

Durham, NC - From staging wet vacuums to topping off emergency generators with fuel, Duke is poised to respond to Hurricane Irene, now expected to make landfall Saturday on the North Carolina coast. 

Since Tuesday afternoon, Duke operational units have been in close, daily coordination across campus, "planning for the worst and hoping for the best," Kyle Cavanaugh, Duke's emergency coordinator and vice president for administration, said Friday.

Due to the current forecast on the coast, all students and staff at the Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort, about 180 miles from Duke's campus in Durham, have departed and will not return on site until the "all clear" is given by safety officials. Beaufort is now under a hurricane warning.

The National Weather Service on Friday issued a "wind advisory" in Durham and Raleigh from 6 a.m. Saturday to midnight. The latest forecast for Durham calls for two to five inches of rain on Saturday with winds at 20 to 30 mph and gusts to 55 mph. Peak winds are expected between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday.

"There have been enormous efforts across the entire Duke system in anticipation of the storm," Cavanaugh said. "As part of our preparations, we have held daily conference calls with the Severe Weather Operations Team, which includes representatives from each of the operational units ranging from police to facilities." 

Duke is not currently expecting to activate the severe weather and emergency conditions policy this weekend, and campus activities and events are scheduled to proceed as planned. However, updates will be made through Duke's emergency website and communication channels, if conditions warrant.

Cavanaugh said police and medical personnel, as well as facilities and grounds crews, will be on-site and on-call during the weekend to respond to emergencies, as needed. Duke community members are encouraged to report flooding or property damage immediately to the appropriate maintenance unit: Facilities for the university campus, and Engineering & Operations for Duke Hospital and the School of Medicine.

Any potential safety-related issues, such as downed trees or power lines, should be reported to the Duke University Police Department, (919) 684-2444. Unless a situation is life threatening, crews may wait until after dangerous winds have subsided before responding.

Undergraduate students whose travel plans and campus arrival may be affected by the storm are asked to contact Student Affairs. West Campus residents should write rlhs-west@studentaffairs.duke.edu; Central Campus residents, rlhs-central@studentaffairs.duke.edu. 

If conditions prevent arrival before Monday, students are asked to email Student Affairs and their deans. Graduate and professional students should alert their schools as well if they have trouble getting to campus in time for classes.

Updates about Hurricane Irene will be posted on Duke Today. If conditions change or worsen and Duke's severe weather policy is activated, updates will be made through Duke's emergency website and communications channels.