The University of Georgia (UGA) has announced the closure of its main campus on September 26 and 27 due to the imminent threat posed by Hurricane Helene. The decision was made with the safety of faculty, staff, and students in mind as forecasters predict heavy rain and high winds in the Athens area.
Further updates will be provided as they become available.
On September 27 at 12:36 PM, a message was sent to members of the School of Law community providing an update on the situation. "Main Campus remains closed today. Protocols are exactly the same as yesterday," it read. Professors may choose to hold classes virtually or reschedule them entirely due to reports of power outages affecting both employees and students.
Normal weekend operations are planned, meaning that access to the Law School and Law Library will resume via swipe card starting at 9:00 a.m., when the circulation desk will also open. However, this is subject to change if further closures are deemed necessary. UGA EITS is scheduled to conduct biannual network maintenance on Sunday, September 29, from 4 a.m. until midnight, which may result in intermittent outages of campus internet access and information systems.
The message also indicated plans for normal Monday operations with in-person classes and events resuming as usual.
The communication stressed continued vigilance even after the hurricane passes due to potential hazards like fallen trees and saturated branches. It encouraged community members to show grace during this challenging time, highlighting resources such as an Emergency Fund for students acutely affected by the storm.
The message concluded with a note of gratitude towards Cam, one of UGA's Facilities Maintenance Workers who helped assess building conditions post-storm.
On September 25 at 7:58 PM, it was announced that School of Law buildings would be closed on September 26 and 27. All events scheduled for these dates will be rescheduled once normal operations resume. The law library closed at midnight on September 25 with no swipe card access available on September 26 and 27.
Faculty instructors have been given discretion over how to handle their classes during this period, whether through online sessions or rescheduling. Clinical programs are also affected but should adhere to ethical duties remotely where possible.
Students with questions specific to their classes should contact their professors while more general inquiries can be directed to Dean Dennis or Ms. Tickles. Employees should reach out to their direct supervisors who are part of the Crisis Response Group.
The primary source for emergency news related to UGA is emergency.uga.edu. Updates will also be posted on the law school's homepage and X (formerly Twitter). Additionally, ugaLAWalert offers a one-way texting notification system for law school-specific messages; faculty, staff, and students can opt-in by texting “ugaLAWalert” to 877-804-2955.
"With all of this being said," emphasized one message, "please be careful over the coming days."