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Last Update: 06/30/08
During
the hurricane season, Polk Community College administrators monitor
tropical storm movements. The College is
prepared to close if co nditions warrant.
A closing announcement or status
report will be
posted on the Emergency Closing page.
Students, faculty and staff can also check PCC's closed circuit TV on
both campuses or call our main phone number (863-297-1000) for a closing
announcement. Once the College closes and the storm passes, call back
for the latest info. Our recorded announcement will be updated with
PCC's latest operation status.
During storms, PCC issues press releases announcing our operating status
to local
radio, TV stations
and newspapers. However, the best place to determine whether PCC will be
open or closed is to check the web site or phone number, since past
experience has shown that the media may omit PCC or make mistakes about
our closing status.
 The hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
May 2,
2008: A Super-Active 2008 Atlantic
Hurricane Season Predicted- The Colorado State University's
Department of Atmospheric Science predicts an above-average probability
of a major hurricane striking the United States this year. The Colorado
scientists say that this season Florida is at an elevated risk for at
least one major hurricane landfall on the state's east coast and also on
its Gulf coast.
If the PCC administration
determines to
close, because of adverse weather conditions or for other
unexpected emergencies, these closings may wreak havoc with PCC's
College
Calendar. Students, faculty and staff will be informed of
any date revisions on the college's web site, via PCC's closed circuit
TV and other means.
Hurricanes are one of nature's most
powe rful forces, turning warm ocean water into powerful winds
capable of mass destruction. Many people focus only on the heavy
rains and high winds that buffet coastal areas and cause storm
surge and flooding. As we learned in 2004, Polk County residents are
also threaten by strong winds and flooding.
All Floridians need to be aware of the
dangers associated with hurricanes and their somewhat weaker
counterparts, tropical storms. Preparedness
is the key to help you reduce the loss of life and property from
these powerful storms.
Officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospherics Administration
(NOAA)'s National Hurricane Center say no matter what level of storm activity
is predicted during any hurricane season, Floridians should not be complacent. Since 1995, forecasters have noted
an increase in overall tropical storm and hurricane activity. Officials
warn Florida residents to be prepared. This has the potential to being a
dangerous hurricane season, NOAA officials say.
The time
to prepare for a hurricane is well before it's forecast to
head in this direction. However, the
NOAA will
help some with preparation time this year. The feds will issue five day
hurricane forecasts again this season. Forecasters say that will allow accurate, longer-range
outlooks for increasingly populated coastal areas.
During the hurricane season you
can follow the latest storm web sites of the National Hurricane Center, the Weather Channel and area media outlets (listed
to the left). NOTE: During the height of a storm the
large number of people using these web sites will considerably slow
them down.
The
names of the 2008 tropical storms
are: Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal,
Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Ike, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco,
Nana, Omar, Paloma, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky and Wilfred.
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