FAMU to reopen campus Monday after remote week of summer classes during tornado recovery

Tarah Jean, Tallahassee Democrat
·2 min read
Federal, state emergency management officials assess FAMU clean-up and recovery efforts.
Federal, state emergency management officials assess FAMU clean-up and recovery efforts.

Florida A&M University will reopen its campus Monday to welcome students, faculty and staff in person after a remote first week of summer classes during tornado recovery efforts.

The announcement was made Thursday afternoon, coming about a week after a tornado struck and severely impacted the university’s campus May 10 when three EF-2 tornadoes swept through Tallahassee with 100-mph straight-line winds.

More: Point of convergence: Tracking the Tallahassee tornadoes' havoc in maps, words and photos

Since the violent storm damaged roofs, downed trees and utility poles, blocked roadways and knocked out power across the HBCU campus, students and non-essential employees of the university started off the summer semester remotely while essential workers continued recovery work on campus.

A Tuesday campus closure was put in place due to forecasts of more violent storms that were being tracked during the university’s remote week. In a turn of events, a tornado watch was canceled early and the threat of severe thunderstorms exited the region Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service in Tallahassee.

As progress is being made during recovery efforts, FAMU is ready to welcome its 3,200 undergraduate students and 463 graduate students enrolled in summer classes. The add-drop period for the learners has also been extended to Monday, according to the university.

Federal and state emergency management along with university officials toured the campus Wednesday to assess the damage and clean-up effort while also visiting an approved debris collection site located south of FAMU's Phase III Apartments, the Grand Ballroom and the Benjamin Banneker building.

During the tour, FAMU President Larry Robinson was pleased to see what was accomplished in the last few days.

“It’s a testament to the work that these people around me and those who have worked with them have done,” Robinson said Wednesday in a prepared statement.

FAMU President Larry Robinson discusses recovery efforts standing with (from left) Senior VP Finance and Administration W. Rebecca Brown, Associate Vice President Facilities, Planning, Construction, and Safety Kendall Jones, Emergency Management Director Ashley Davis, Interim Police Chief Sgt. John Cotton and Emergency Management Deputy Director Ivy Baker.

FAMU officials are tracking clean-up and recovery expenses and hope to be reimbursed if there is a federal disaster declaration, according to the university.

An early estimate of the university’s damage costs have not been made available yet, a FAMU spokesperson said.

Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on X: @tarahjean_.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU announces plans to reopen campus after severe tornado damage