The Duke University Marine Lab has issued a mandatory evacuation of all dormitory residents effective Thursday afternoon, in preparation for Hurricane Earl.
Cindy Van Dover, director of the Marine Lab, wrote in an online announcement Wednesday morning that classes will be held at the Beaufort campus until 1:30 p.m. today. Twenty-seven undergraduate students and a visitor must leave Pivers Island by 2 p.m., the statement says.
According to the National Weather Service, Hurricane Earl—designated a Category 4 hurricane as of Wednesday evening—will pass over the North Carolina coast tonight through Friday morning.
“Different models have the hurricane [eye] going offshore by 60 miles or so,” Van Dover said. “It’s a large hurricane, so we’ll get hit by something.”
Gov. Bev Perdue declared a state emergency Wednesday afternoon, issuing mandatory evacuations for the Outer Banks starting with locations accessible only by ferry. Although Beaufort is not included in the areas identified as most vulnerable, administrators prefer not to take any risks with students’ safety, Van Dover said.
“We want to get undergraduates off the island the night of the storm,” Van Dover said. “We tend to be pretty conservative when students are involved.”
The lab’s Pivers Island location is accessible only by a bridge that is susceptible to flooding. The hurricane is predicted to reach coastal North Carolina during high tide, which could easily result in 2- to 5-foot waves, explained Van Dover.
“We don’t want students on the island where we can’t get to them in an emergency,” she said.
The Marine Lab is no stranger to hurricane alerts and evacuations, said Dominick Brugnolotti, assistant director of auxiliary operations at the lab, who estimated that he has to facilitate hurricane evacuations at least once a year.
“I know, going back through history, I think the most they’ve had to do was [evacuate] five times in a semester. It’s always better to be safe than sorry,” he said.
Students were notified by e-mail of the hurricane and evacuation alert Wednesday morning, and the majority of students will most likely leave the island by carpooling. While students are not required to return to Durham, arrangements have been made to accommodate them on Central Campus Thursday night as well as to provide them with temporary meal cards.
“They’ve been good about keeping us up to date... and making arrangements,” said Kiki Contreras, a junior studying at the Beaufort campus. Contreras says she will most likely stay in Durham until students are allowed to return to the Marine Lab.
The campus will be assessed for damages on Friday morning, and Van Dover said she hopes to be able to invite students to return that day. Monday classes will be held as scheduled.
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