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Hurricane Irene Eyes North Carolina Coast

Duke Marine Lab staff, students departing Beaufort campus Friday

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.

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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.