Durham, NC - Hurricane Irene is now expected to possibly make landfall Saturday near Morehead City, about 180 miles away from Duke's campus in Durham.

At the Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort, which is now under a hurricane watch, all Duke employees and students will depart at noon Friday and will not return until the "all clear" by safety officials.

In Durham on Saturday, the National Weather Service forecast is calling for a 50 percent chance of rain with 11 to 20 mph winds and gusts as high as 31 mph.

"The path of a hurricane can always change," said Kyle Cavanaugh, Duke's emergency coordinator and vice president for administration. "Over the past several days, we've been watching the situation closely, staying in regular contact with weather experts and convening emergency response teams to coordinate our efforts and ensure the safety of our community."

Duke is not currently expecting to activate the severe weather and emergency conditions policy this weekend, but updates will be made through Duke's emergency website and communication channels, if conditions warrant.

All events scheduled this weekend for students are currently scheduled to proceed as planned. Student move-in is Friday, but undergraduates who've had travel plans adversely affected by the storm have been permitted to move-in today. 

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.

Cavanaugh encouraged community members to stay informed and safe through the weekend. "You can help us by assessing your facilities and reporting flooding or property damage that might occur over the weekend, so that crews can respond quickly," he added.

Updates about preparations for Hurricane Irene, including plans for the Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort, 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.