Polk State College will be open on Tuesday with in-person classes taking place until 5 p.m. This includes collegiate high schools and on-campus dual enrollment courses. Online classes will take place through the evening on Tuesday. The College will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday due to Hurricane Ian. This includes all campus operations and online classes. The College’s Emergency Management Team will continue to meet daily to determine if closures need to be modified or extended for the remainder of the week. Updates will be provided on polk.edu and through local and social media.
As of 5 p.m. Monday, Hurricane Ian was located approximately 155 miles southeast of Cuba. Maximum sustained winds were at 100 mph and the storm was moving north-northwest at 13 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. Polk County can expect wind and rain as early as 8 p.m. Tuesday and flood warnings are in effect, according to Polk County Emergency Management.
Polk State urges everyone to sign up for AlertPolk and monitor messaging from Polk County Emergency Management, the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and the National Hurricane Center. Polk County residents are also encouraged to review information on the Polk County Emergency Management website regarding hurricane preparedness, emergency and special needs shelters, and more. Sandbag sites are open across the County daily from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. until weather conditions make it unsafe to be outside.
Students, faculty, and staff should also ensure contact information in Passport is up to date to receive emergency alerts from Polk State. Students should check under “My Details” and employees should check under “Personal” and “Change Contact Info.” Numbers entered in the “Cellular Number” field in the “Personal Information” section will be used for emergency voice and text messages.
