Members of Coastal Carolina University evacuated earlier this week in anticipation of Hurricane Dorian. For those in need of temporary shelter during the storm, ETSU provided a safe haven.
Seventy-five evacuees from CCU travelled to Johnson City on Monday to stay in ETSU’s Lucille Clement Hall while the storm tore through the east coast.
“We have been approached before and have been standing ready to assist in the past as any school and most universities – colleges – would help out fellow institutions if that were to happen,” said Bonnie Burchett, director of Housing and Residence Life.
Each year, a block of rooms in residence halls are reserved on campus for situations when members of other universities need shelter, according to Burchett.
“What he had to do was just make sure that they had access to what they need,” said Joe Smith, ETSU Chief Communications Officer.
While at ETSU, the evacuees – which include students, staff and law enforcement from the university – have access to ETSU’s Wi-Fi, Sherrod Library, dining hall and the Center for Physical Activity.
Housing and meals are taken care of through cooperation of both universities, so the evacuees do not have to worry about paying for their stay.
“First and foremost right now, the priority is on safety,” Smith said. “We have made financial arrangements with the institution that we will work out down the road – particularly related to dining services. Right now, it’s about them having those accommodations, and those details will be resolved later.”
Burchett was notified Saturday by Michelle Safewright, director of Housing and Residence Life at Middle Tennessee State University. MTSU was contacted first by CCU’s Vice President for Auxillary Enterprises Stephen Harrison, but Middle Tennessee was unavailable to house the evacuees at the time.
Located in Conway, South Carolina, CCU was in Hurricane Dorian’s path. On Monday, the state’s governor, Henry McMaster, ordered a mandatory evacuation for counties on the coast. The university cancelled classes beginning Tuesday, Sept. 3. The campus was officially closed Tuesday afternoon, with the exception of “essential personnel,” according to CCU’s hurricane advisory webpage.
Hurricane Dorian has hit the U.S. east coast and is a category 2 storm. The hurricane has left 62,000 Bahamian people without drinking water and at least seven confirmed deaths on the Abaco Islands, according to CBS News.
The evacuees are expected to return to CCU as soon as the hurricane has passed, conditions are safe and the campus reopens.
“We’re providing assistance for them as long as they need it,” Smith said.
