Keeping Watch On Hurricane Irene

With the current track bringing Hurricane Irene
to the North Carolina coast Saturday, Duke officials continue to monitor the
storm to prepare for any impact on campus.

John Dailey, Duke's chief of police, said
current storm forecasts for the Durham area on Saturday
call for less than one inch of rain and wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph between 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. Duke
officials, including staff at the Duke Marine Lab, are making preparations
should the storm change course.  

"Operational teams at Duke are currently
stocking supplies, clearing drainage basins, preparing back-up generators and
inspecting facilities to ensure readiness for any storm-related issues," Kyle
Cavanaugh, Duke's emergency coordinator and vice president for administration,
said Wednesday.

Irene is a Category 3 hurricane with maximum
winds of 115 mph. The core will move over the northwestern Bahamas on Thursday.
Some additional strengthening may occur, so Irene could become a Category 4 by
Thursday.

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 communications channels, if conditions
warrant.

However, given the possibility of severe weather
conditions, employees are encouraged to review Duke's severe weather and emergency conditions policy
to ensure they understand what to do if the policy is activated.

Managers should also ensure staff members are
aware of the service category for their position and how they will be notified
if the severe weather policy is activated.