Responding to Ian

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Responding to Ian

Long before even the first of Hurricane Ian’s 140-mile-per-hour winds and torrential rains began to pummel the west Florida coast in late September, the University of Miami was fast at work preparing its facilities and working to safeguard personnel who might be in harm’s way of the storm.
Long before even the first of Hurricane Ian’s 140-mile-per-hour winds and torrential rains began to pummel the west Florida coast in late September, the University of Miami was fast at work preparing its facilities and working to safeguard personnel who might be in harm’s way of the storm.
Photo courtesy of The Associated Press
by MICHAEL R. MALONE

WITH A CLOSE EYE ON IAN’S APPROACH, THE UNIVERSITY ISSUED A SERIES OF ADVISORIES AND NOTIFICATIONS OF PREPARATIONS AND OPERATIONAL CHANGES FOR CLASSES, EVENTS, AND CLINICAL ACTIVITIES. IN-PERSON CLASSES ON THE MARINE AND GABLES CAMPUSES WERE SUSPENDED ON THE AFTERNOON OF SEPT. 27 AND REMAINED CLOSED ON SEPT. 28.

As soon as campuses were deemed safe, the University resumed operations and moved to mobilize resources and outreach to the ’Canes family, communities, and sister educational institutions across the devastated western coast to launch the long and challenging process of rescue and recovery.

“In the immediate aftermath, it is difficult to know how many have been affected and to what degree, but as ’Canes fueled by a mission of service, we are determined to provide hope and take action during this critical time,” stated President Frenk in one of his multiple storm-associated messages.

The University’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Naples was an area of immediate concern. The storm prompted three days of closure, but the facilities suffered no physical damage, and there were no reports of personal injury to employees.

“It was a tough storm—and together with Hurricane Irma, two tough storms—but this is a terrific building and we’re very happy with our facility,” says Dr. Stephen Schwartz, the institute’s medical director. “The University was very diligent in helping us get up and running because we know how important it is to keep the wheels turning.”

With seven full-time faculty members and approximately 75 staff, the institute attends to about 150 patients daily and is the only academic medical facility servicing Collier and Lee counties.

Schwartz highlights that Hurricane Irma caused longer interruptions because of power outages that led to contaminated water and other complications. “We learned a lot from that experience and made some important improvements to our operations,” he says.

According to Schwartz, who lives close to the institute, only one staff member suffered severe damage to her home, while other employees were recovering from moderate home damage along with the loss of vehicles.

Bascom Palmer resumed services, both clinical and academic, on the Monday following the storm and prioritized patients who required surgeries or special care. “We tried to make sure that everyone who needed to get in, got in, and I think we were successful,” Schwartz says.

Outreach to ’Canes alumni in Orlando, Tampa, Sarasota, and across Southwest Florida began immediately after the storm to assess for any needs or special support.

On the Coral Gables, Marine, and Medical campuses, students and faculty and staff members with family or friends in the devastated areas were advised of the many resources available, which included the University Counseling Center, Student Health Service, Faculty and Staff Assistance Program, and others. The Hurricane Ian Emergency Relief Fund was established as a lifeline for those who experienced financial hardship.

The University’s Office of Emergency Management partnered with Florida International University and Florida Atlantic University to assist Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers and simultaneously initiated collaboration with State of Florida officials to provide support.

With the recognition that severe weather disproportionately affects people with spinal cord injuries and other disabilities, a multidisciplinary team of University researchers advanced its project funded by the University’s Laboratory for Integrative Knowledge, or U-LINK, that utilizes education, innovation, and outreach to help residents with spinal cord injuries and other disabilities adapt and become more resilient to climate change.

“Anyone can experience a cervical spinal cord injury and find themselves in a wheelchair,” says David McMillan, Ph.D. ’20, research assistant professor of neurological surgery, director of education and outreach at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, and the lead investigator of the U-LINK study.

The study initially emphasized preparation for climate change. Yet with the urgency prompted by Hurricane Ian, the team looked to expand the U-LINK project to include people with spinal cord injuries who had been impacted by the storm.

Amid the hurricane activity, University researchers continued a range of projects geared to better understand hurricane movement and ultimately to save lives. The University’s tropical cyclone experts play a vital role in helping forecasters to predict the path of storms, flying onboard National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Hurricane Hunter aircraft to record critical data on windspeed and direction, central pressure, temperature, and humidity.