Below are tips to help students weather the storm, as well as a copy of the bullet points that students received by email on Friday.

* Use extreme care, caution, and good judgment when traveling across campus and do not do so unless absolutely necessary. Please note that the ground may be saturated in some areas and leaves may gather causing slick or slippery conditions. Be on the lookout for fallen tree limbs and branches. Please monitor the storm carefully as weather conditions can deteriorate quickly. Please stay in your residence halls if you do not need to travel outside.

* It is certainly possible that the residence halls may experience loss of electrical power during the storm and that the loss of electrical power could be prolonged and widespread. If this occurs, please make sure to use caution when traveling in the hallways, lounges, and bathrooms especially when it is dark outside. Under no circumstances should candles be used in any of the residence halls. Each RA has been provided at least one flashlight. Hallway and bathroom lighting will be provided by  backup generators in the event of a loss of power.

* Do not sit, lie, or stand in front of windows or doors during the storm. If you do exit the building, please make sure to pull the exterior dorm doors shut behind you and make sure it latches. There is currently a high wind alert for this area and, again, conditions may deteriorate quickly.  

* Make sure that your dorm window is closed.

* If you live in a dorm with a lower level or live on the first floor of a building, pick everything up off of the floor. In the event of minor flooding or if the carpet gets wet, pick items up and place them on a higher surface. Make sure you don't leave laptops, text books, clothes, luggage, accent rugs, etc. on the carpet or floor. Being a little proactive now and organizing this will help prevent items from being ruined in the event that the heavy rain causes water damage. 

*If you have a bicycle on campus, please move it to an inside bicycle storage location or make sure it is secured to the outside bike racks.

* Your car should never be parked in a fire lane or emergency area....and this is especially important in the coming days!! All cars should be moved to regular, marked parking spaces and should not be parked in prohibited areas (such as the area behind DKAP/Mertz; Parrish Rose Garden Circle, the area behind Willets, etc.). These areas need to remain clear in the event that facilities or emergency vehicles need to access the area. If your car is parked in one of these locations, please move it asap.

* Keep your cell phone charged and laptop charged.

* You may find that you have family and/or friends who are concerned about the impact the storm is having on the College. Please make sure that you have called home, emailed home, or communicated with your loved ones in whatever way appropriate to let them know that you are OK.

* Facilities & Services staff, as well as Public Safety, are on campus and available to help respond to any facilities concerns you may have. If you notice dorm damage or need assistance, ask for appropriate help. The quickest way to get help is to contact Public Safety directly at 610-328-8333. Please remember that there may be some things which need immediate attention and some things which may just need to be noted and fixed later in the week (for example, a damaged window screen is not an emergency but a room flooding could be). If you can distinguish between the two and find that you have damage that should be reported but is not significant and/or does not need to be addressed immediately, please email workbox@swarthmore.edu and we'll put in a workorder as soon as possible. If you have concerns about something immediate or are uncertain, please call Public Safety for advice. 

* Environmental Services staff members will be in the residence halls overnight to help remove garbage and empty the trash rooms from the weekend. We will begin our work in the larger residence halls and, depending on weather conditions, continue to work our way through campus collecting as much trash as possible. If we are unable to get to your residence hall OR you find that your trash can is full, please do not continue to put garbage on top of garbage. Do not let the trash spill onto the floor or pile above the top of the bag. Instead, please find a garbage can that does have room or start a new bag. 

* There may be additional information, specific to your individual residence hall, that has been provided to your RA.  Please do not hesitate to ask your RA if you have any questions or concerns.

Don't forget: check your email for updates regarding the College's response to the storm and follow any directions that may come from College staff. The College homepage will also be updated as new information becomes available. The College continues to track the storm carefully and is preparing campus for the severe weather and conditions that are anticipated. Current predictions indicate the storm will be heaviest in this region from late this evening through Tuesday evening. The latest weather information concerning the path of Hurricane Sandy can be found at www.nhc.noaa.gov

We will continue to provide updates as the storm unfolds. Please take good care in your travels and on campus.

To help best minimize the possible impact of this weather system, there are a few things students can do now to help prepare: 

*If it begins to rain, make sure that your dorm window is closed. Weather conditions can change quite quickly, so if you are going to leave the residence halls this weekend go ahead and make sure you pull shut your window.

*If you live in a dorm with a lower level or live on the first floor of a building, you may wish to pick everything up off of the floor.  In the event of minor flooding or if the carpet gets wet, pick items up and place them on a higher surface   Make sure you don't leave laptops, text books, clothes, luggage, accent rugs, etc. on the carpet or floor. Being a little proactive now and organizing this will help prevent items from being ruined in the event that the rain is heavy.  .  

*If you have a bicycle on campus, please move it to an inside bicycle storage location or make sure it is secured to the outside bike racks. 

*You should never be parked in a fire lane or emergency area. This is an example of a time when this is especially important! All cars should be moved to regular, marked parking spaces and should not be parked in prohibited areas (such as the area behind DKAP/Mertz; Parrish Rose Garden Circle, the area behind Willets, etc.). These areas need to remain absolutely clear in the event that facilities or emergency vehicles need to access the area. If your car is parked in one of these locations, please move it asap.

*Keep your cell phone charged and laptop charged.

*Check your email for updates regarding the College's response to the storm and follow any directions that may come from College staff. The latest weather information concerning the path of Hurricane Sandy can be found at www.nhc.noaa.gov 

The best bet is to be proactive and prepare before the storm hits, and to take good care in your travels and on campus.