Hurricane Matthew Leaves Its Mark at Georgia Southern

The memory of Hurricane Matthew may linger for a while at Georgia Southern. Strong winds and heavy rain fell in the area when the hurricane slammed Georgia’s coastline. Fallen trees, limbs and other debris caused damage on campus, including Sweetheart Circle and on the grounds of the Wildlife Center and the Botanic Garden. The day before the storm hit, the University announced the cancellation of classes, events, trips and other activities — essential information as Interstate 16 was under state-initiated contra-flow rules to allow coastal area evacuations.

Eagle Alert In preparation for Hurricane Matthew — and in all emergencies — the University employed its emergency alert system, Eagle Alert, to notify students, faculty and staff about storm conditions and road closures. Georgia Southern uses several methods to get the word out quickly when an emergency or severe weather affects University operations. The information is disseminated via a text alert, email or automated call to a cell phone or landline. The emergency message notification system is just one method used to contact members of the institution in an emergency. Georgia Southern students and employees can also monitor the website: GeorgiaSouthern.edu/alert or follow the University’s social accounts on Facebook and Twitter. For more Information about Eagle Alert notifications and how to update emergency contact information

Live Safe The University has also launched the free LiveSafe app, a smartphone safety app enabling University Police to more quickly receive notification of and respond to incidents, further helping to keep the campus community safe and well. “With features like SafeWalk, Where’s My Bus and the emergency options and reporting features,” said Laura McCullough, chief of police for Georgia Southern’s Office of Public Safety, “it allows users of the app to help us keep the campus as safe as possible.” Find out more at GeorgiaSouthern.edu/livesafe