The start of the academic year coincides with the historic peak of hurricane season, making hurricane awareness and preparation a unique challenge for international students unaccustomed to dealing with tropical storms. That鈥檚 why USF World鈥檚 International Student Support (ISS) team set out to empower students with information, tips and supplies to stay safe in a storm.
鈥淚 have no knowledge about hurricanes, and I heard that Tampa sometimes gets them,鈥� said Laksh Raj Doultani, an undergraduate computer science student from Pakistan. 鈥淚 came to learn how to protect myself.鈥�
As part of the USF Week of Welcome activities, the ISS team hosted a hurricane preparedness event Aug. 28 in Tampa providing information on creating hurricane supply kits, learning about university procedures in the event of a hurricane and where to find credible information in the event of a storm. Students at USF St. Petersburg also were provided information in their Week of Welcome activities and an event will be held at USF Sarasota-Manatee in the future.
More than 300 students from across the globe, including Pakistan, Vietnam, Zimbabwe and the Bahamas, attended the Tampa event at the Marshall Student Center.
鈥淚 have no knowledge about hurricanes, and I heard that Tampa sometimes gets them,鈥� said Laksh Raj Doultani, an undergraduate computer science student from Pakistan. 鈥淚 came to learn how to protect myself.鈥�
鈥淲e don鈥檛 get hurricanes in Zimbabwe, so I came because I wanted to learn how to prepare,鈥� said Ignatious Mushata, a graduate student majoring in AI and business analytics. 鈥淟earning about the types of supplies to pack and how much to pack was important to me.鈥�
All USF students are provided detailed instructions in the university鈥檚 hurricane guide and in official communications in the event of an approaching storm. But given that more than 1,000 international students find themselves far from home, organizers also wanted to address questions and convey information to help students know what to expect during hurricane season, which lasts from June 1 to Nov. 30. The Weather Channel reports that 93% of U.S. landfalls occur between August and October.
Alex Iler, the Student Programs Coordinator for Engagement at International Student Support, said the team set out to create an immersive and engaging experience, arming them with information about storms and flood zones (particularly essential for students living off-campus), supply checklists and a ticket to a wind tunnel, which helped them cool off from the August heat. The ISS team measured the knowledge the students gained with pre- and post-event surveys.
鈥淎s a university with such a diverse population, many students may never have experienced a severe weather event like this,鈥� said Rob Marlowe, USF Emergency Management coordinator.
鈥淎s a university with such a diverse population, many students may never have experienced a severe weather event like this,鈥� said Rob Marlowe, USF Emergency Management coordinator. 鈥淚t鈥檚 our responsibility to provide the necessary information so students can make informed decisions in disaster situations.鈥�
The students said the information helped ease their concerns and know what to expect when a hurricane is approaching, if one makes landfall in the Tampa Bay Region and in the cleanup and re-openings that occur in the aftermath.
鈥淚鈥檓 new to Tampa and heard about the hurricanes and storms and how devastating that can be, so I wanted to learn how to be prepared,鈥� said Zahin Abrar, an undergraduate student from Bangladesh who is majoring in computer science. 鈥淭he most important thing I learned is, 鈥榙on鈥檛 panic鈥� and follow instructions by the authorities and be prepared because you don鈥檛 know what will happen next.鈥�
Dalton Hoffer, associate director of New Student and Family Engagement, said hurricane awareness ultimately supports student success. 鈥淔eeling safe, informed and prepared directly impacts how students engage both inside and outside the classroom,鈥� he said.