Campus to Re-open Wednesday, Oct. 31 on Normal Schedule; Students Urged to Return Only as Safe Travel Conditions Allow

CHESTERTOWN, MD--The Washington College campus will open for business on a normal schedule Wednesday, Oct. 31. Students are welcome to return to campus today as their individual circumstances allow them to do safely. Residence halls are open.

Campus Conditions

Aside from a few downed trees and minor flooding in some buildings, the campus came through the storm in very good shape, with full electrical power. 

Classes Resume

College classes will resume tomorrow, Wednesday, at 8:30 a.m. Depending upon their individual circumstances, students should return to campus only when it is safe to do so. Faculty members are asked to consider that some students may not be able to return to campus safely in time to attend class and to work with those students to enable them to make up any missed work.

Dining Services

The dining hall will offer an early dinner tonight, Tuesday, from 4 to 5:30 p.m., and then resume normal hours beginning with Wednesday breakfast.

Special Shuttle from the Western Shore

The "Weekend" shuttle will be picking up students who have made a reservation online (accessed through Web Advisor) at the times listed below on Wednesday, Oct. 31st. Please note that these times are a slight change from a previous e-mail that was sent out. If you have trouble accessing the online reservation system you can call Public Safety at 410-778-7810 to make a reservation.

New Carrolton - 9:00 a.m.

Annapolis Mall - 9:30 a.m.

New Carrolton - 11:00 a.m.

Annapolis Mall - 11:30 a.m.

New Carrolton - 1:00 p.m.

Annapolis Mall - 1:30 p.m.

Road Conditions

Roads throughout Kent County, Md. are clear and open.  For information on other roads throughout the state, visit the state’s transportation Web site:

http://www.chart.state.md.us/TravInfo/Default.aspx
For road conditions elsewhere: http://www.traffic.com/

Tree down in parking lot by Gibson Arts Center and Casey Swim Center.

Dining Services Open Limited Hours for Tuesday

The dining hall will be open with reduced staffing to serve students on campus with the following schedule for Tuesday, Oct. 30:

Brunch
Noon to 1:30 p.m.

Dinner
4 to 5:30 p.m.

Monday Night Weather Update from the County

Below is the latest update from the Kent County Office of Emergency Services:

Our latest briefing with MEMA and NWS gave us just a few updates for the

overnight hours:

- Sandy has made landfall
- High Wind Warning remains in effect until 9am Tuesday
- Coastal Flood Warning remains in effect until 1pm Tuesday
- Flood Warning in effect until 2am Tuesday
- Flood Watch continues through Tuesday afternoon

- Winds from the Southwest 35-50mph, with gusts up to 75mph
- The strongest winds are expected to be from now through 1am Tuesday
morning
- Moderate coastal flooding is forecasted
- 6" to 10" of total rainfall is still expected
- Tuesday morning high tides are the ones of most concern at this moment
- Surge is still expected to be 4' to 5'

Unless the weather changes drastically, this will be our last briefing of
the evening. Our conference calls and briefings will begin again in the
morning.

OES will continue to monitor the storm, road conditions and the power
outages throughout the night.

Take care and stay safe! We will resume updates tomorrow.

College to Stay Closed Tuesday

Here are updates from today’s meeting of the College’s Emergency Operations Group.

Campus closed Tuesday.

Washington College offices will continue to be closed on Tuesday October 30, and classes remain cancelled for the day.

Next Update

The Emergency Operations Group plans to assess the situation and provide another update no later than 2 p.m. Tuesday.

A decision about Wednesday’s schedule for offices and classes will be communicated on the Web site, by email,  and through WAC alerts.

Info on the Web site.

All employees are encouraged to check the Washington College Web site for updates on conditions and schedules. (Click on the Hurricane icon on the home page, which will take you to all the news updates that relate to the storm.) 

Dining Services

Dining Services will not be able to open for breakfast/brunch Tuesday morning as had been planned earlier. Instead, the dining hall now anticipates reopening by 2 p.m. Tuesday, weather permitting.

Rescheduled Advising Days

Students should check for email from the Registrar's Office with information about changes to the schedule for advising and registration for Spring 2013 courses.

State Information on Road Conditions/Closures

State police are urging people to stay off the roads.
Travel conditions will get worse through the rest of today and into tonight.

Statewide traffic information, including the locations of roads that may be closed due to flooding, is available on-line at www.511md.org, or by calling 511.

Road conditions and views of live traffic cameras are also available on the State Highway Administration website at www.roads.maryland.gov.

Monday Morning Update on Weather Conditions

Below is the Monday morning update from Kenty County's Office of Emergency Services. Students on campus are to shelter in place until this storm passes. Public Safety Officers are on duty and will respond to emergency calls:

Our latest briefing with the NWS and MEMA has given us the following
information:

- 50 mph winds have been recorded at the Kent Narrows Bridge.
- The Bay Bridge is predicted to close by noon today.
- Landfall for the storm is expected to by 6 pm tonight in the State of New Jersey.

- High Wind Warning remains in effect until 9 am Tuesday
- Flood Warning remains in effect until 6 pm today
- Flood Watch remains in effect through Tuesday afternoon
- Coastal Flood Warning remains in effect from 3 pm today until 1 pm Tuesday

- Winds from the Northeast increasing to 40-55 mph by 2 pm today, with gusts of 65-75 mph inland and 75-85 mph along the coast.
- The winds will remain strong until Tuesday afternoon.
- 10" of rain is expected to fall by the time this event is over.
- Moderate to heavy rain will continue through the day into tonight.
- Storm surge is still expected to be 2'-4'
- This surge will make the remaining high tides around 4' to 5' (this
includes the already expected tide).

- The Shelter at the Kent County Community is open and ready for anyone who needs it.
- The Public Information Line is 410-778-3864.
- Kent County Public Schools and Offices will be closed Tuesday.
- Washington College has canceled all classes and events for Tuesday.
- Maryland Fire & Rescue Institute has canceled classes for Tuesday.
- At this time no roads in the county are scheduled to be closed.
- If you do not have to travel on the roads today, please do not, especially after 12 noon when the winds and rains will be at their strongest.
- Delmarva Power/Pepco and Choptank Electric both have crews pre-positioned in the area to assist with any power outages.

High tide times for Monday & Tuesday:

- Chestertown: Monday- 8:18 pm; Tuesday- 8:06 am & 8:55  pm
- Millington: Monday- 9:38 pm; Tuesday- 9:26 am & 10:15 pm
- Sassafras River (Betterton): Monday- 10:02 pm; Tuesday- 9:50 am & 10:39 pm
- Tolchester Beach: Monday-7:49 pm; Tuesday- 7:37 am & 8:26 pm

Sunday night update from Kent County Emergency Services

Here is the Sunday evening update from the Emergency Preparedness Planner for the County:

-- As of this evening, the storm was expected to make landfall in the Southern New Jersey/Northern Delaware area.
-- Wind warning is in effect on the Bay Bridge.
-- Winds 35-45 mph, gusts of 60-70 mph.
-- High wind warning remains in effect from 8 a.m. Monday to 9 a.m. Tuesday.
-- Strongest winds between 4 p.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Tuesday.
-- Coastal Flood Warning remains in effect from 3 p.m. Monday to 1 p.m. Tuesday.
-- Moderate coastal flooding is forecast during the high tides Monday late afternoon/night and Tuesday morning.
-- Rainfall is forecast at 6 to 10 inches during the entire event.
-- Minor tidal flooding is possible during the Monday morning high tide.
-- Streams and rivers are expected to run over.
-- Flood Watch remains in effect through Tuesday afternoon.

College to be Closed Monday, Students Picking Up Food Packets TODAY

The rain has begun, as shown in this photo by Public Safety patrol
 officer Candace Tyrell.

CHESTERTOWN, MD--Washington College will close its offices on Monday, October 29, as a precaution against the winds and rains of Hurricane Sandy. (See the bottom of this update for the latest weather predictions from the Kent County Office of  Emergency Services.)

The WEEKEND SHUTTLE will make a trip across the Bay Bridge today, Sunday, Oct. 29 at 4 p.m. and plans are being made for a return shuttle on Wednesday morning, October 31, as weather and road conditions allow.  Students should check their email messages and the Web site for any updates on the shuttle schedule.

DINING SERVICES WILL BE CLOSED MONDAY, but students can pick up food supplies today, Sunday, from 2 to 7 p.m. in the Dining Hall to use as they shelter in place in their residence halls. 

These food supplies include bottled water, cereals, granola bars, fresh cut fruit, whole fruit, and deli sandwiches.

Dining Services plans to re-open Tuesday, Oct 30, 2012 with brunch at 10:30 a.m. as conditions permit.  Students should plan on taking enough food supplies for all of Monday through Tuesday Brunch.

  

SAFETY STAFF: Members of the Public Safety and Buildings & Grounds staffs will be on duty as needed throughout the storm.

MILLER LIBRARY will close today at 5 p.m. and stay closed through Monday.

STAY INDOORS! As conditions deteriorate, students who remain on campus will be asked to shelter in place in their residence halls. We anticipate that the most dangerous conditions will begin Monday morning and last 24 hours or more.

FUTURE UPDATES:  The Emergency Operations Group plans to provide twice-daily updates on conditions and campus plans. Specifically, plans for Tuesday hours of operation will be updated through emails and WAC alerts and on the Web site.

Staff work schedules: Staff members who have questions about their specific work responsibilities and schedules during the storm should call their supervisors. 

UPDATE from the Kent County Office of Emergency Services:

Our latest briefing with National Weather Service has given us the following information:

- High Wind Warning from 8 a.m. Monday to 9 a.m. Tuesday.

- Winds expected to be 35-45 mph sustained with gusts of 60 to 75 mph

- Strongest winds expected between 4 p.m. Monday and 4 a.m. Tuesday

- Coastal Flood Advisory from 3 p.m. Monday to 2 a.m.Wednesday

- Main focus is the coastal Eastern Shore adjacent to the Chesapeake Bay

- Minor flooding can be seen within an hour of hightide Monday afternoon through Tuesday Night.

- Minor tidal flooding is expected

- Flood Watch from tonight through Tuesday afternoon

- 5" to 10" of rain is expected

- Heavy rains will start tonight

Sandy is expected to make landfall sometime after midnight Monday around DelMar, New Jersey.

Kent County Public Schools will be closed Monday.

Storm Prompts Washington College to Cancel Classes for Monday and Tuesday

CHESTERTOWN, MD—Based on the latest weather reports about the impact of Hurricane Sandy, Washington College is canceling all classes and activities for both Monday and Tuesday, October 29 and 30.

Students who can do so safely are being strongly encouraged to go home and to leave campus/Chestertown no later than mid-morning Sunday depending upon the distance and location of their destination.

In its messages to students, the College stressed that those who do leave should return to campus only when it is safe to do so. The email to students continued:

“Assuming classes will resume on Wednesdays, faculty members are asked to consider that some students may not be able to return to campus safely and in time to attend class that day and to work with those students to enable them to make up any missed work.

Students who remain on campus will be expected to shelter in place in their residence halls during the storm if it is unsafe to go outside and possibly in hallways away from windows during the height of the storm. As with any storm of this size everyone should be prepared that some or all services, including power, Internet, cable, and phone, will be disrupted. Public Safety officers will be on campus and available, and Residential Life staff will be on duty to help students during the storm and its aftermath.

Dining Services will be open regular hours on Sunday but all retail operations (Martha's Kitchen, Mondo Subs, Java George) will be closed Sunday through Tuesday. On Monday and Tuesday Dining Services will be open during its regular weekend brunch/dinner hours. Dining Services will also be prepared to provide boxed meals for students to take back to their rooms in the event that students are asked to shelter in place for a significant period of time.

As of today, campus events through Sunday will still go on as scheduled. Events scheduled for Monday or Tuesday are cancelled, including lectures, films, and all athletic events and practices. All campus facilities, including the library and JFC will be closed on Monday and Tuesday. Hodson Hall will be open for meals and, if safe to do so, the student center may also be open both days.

Any changes in campus operating hours or news of power outages, etc. will be sent to the campus community through the WAC Alert system, campus emails, and the College's web site (www.washcoll.edu).  Please check these as the storm moves closer for more WC information and monitor local weather forecasts for storm information.”

Updates on the storm’s expected path and impact and how they will affect campus will be posted on the Web site and distributed through the College's emergency alerts and email. 

Free “12@Hotchkiss” Concerts Continue Nov. 2 with the Naval Academy Clarinet Quartet

CHESTERTOWN, MD—The Naval Academy Clarinet Quartet will perform at noon on Friday, November 2, in Hotchkiss Recital Hall, as part of the Washington College Music Department’s 12@Hotchkiss Noon Hour Concert Series.

The free performances in the series feature acclaimed musicians from the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area and are hosted in Hotchkiss on the first Friday of every month during the academic year. All are welcome.

Members of the clarinet quartet have performed extensively as soloists and in chamber groups and orchestras across the country. They are part of the United States Naval Academy Band, “The Navy’s Oldest and Finest,” which has provided music for the Brigade of Midshipmen and the surrounding community since 1852. Located at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, the full band is comprised of 68 professional Navy musicians who have studied at some of the best music schools and conservatories in the country.

The November 2 performance by the clarinet quartet will feature arranged and original works by Bach, Alfred Uhl, Astor Piazzolla, and Mike Curtis.

Hotchkiss Recital Hall is located in the Gibson Center for the Arts on the Washington College campus, 300 Washington Avenue. For more information on the 12@Hotchkiss series, please visit the Music Department website at http://music.washcoll.edu, or contact series director Grace Eun Hae Kim at gkim2@washcoll.edu.