Florida Governor Rick Scott has declared a State of Emergency for all counties in the state of Florida in order to prepare for Hurricane Irma, now a Category 4 hurricane.

The University of Central Florida Emergency Management Center will be monitoring the storm around the clock and assist administrators on whether to cancel classes. The decision to cancel classes will be up to UCF administrators based on the information received from the EMC as well as national weather monitoring services.

Current computer models have the storm moving towards Miami then making a sharp, straight turn North through Florida.

The Saturday 8 p.m. football game may be moved to Friday, postponed, or canceled overall. UCF Football has a bye week on Saturday, October 28, although Memphis Football has a conference game at home in Tennessee on Friday, October 27.

Family weekend was planned for the Memphis game – should the university remain open through the week, UCF Football will make their own determination.

UCF closed classes for Hurricane Matthew in October of 2016, the first Hurricane in over a decade anticipated to make landfall at the time in the Sunshine State.

Students were widely concerned with how long the decision took from UCF to cancel classes and close the university as other institutions closed earlier before the storm. Students were faced with leaving campus early on their own time or sticking with an official decision seemingly last-minute, two days before expected landfall. On Wednesday, October 5, although, UCF announced classes to close on all campuses from Wednesday, October 5, at 3 p.m. through Saturday, October 8.

UCF students board windows, prepare for Hurricane Matthew

Last year, Orange County and Seminole County both enacted mandatory 33-hour and 26-hour curfews, respectively, for all residents. The Central Florida Expressway closed toll roads in anticipation for the Hurricane.

Hurricane Matthew brushed the East coast of Florida at a Category 3 and fortunately did not cause much damage to Central Florida. Meteorologists expect Irma to make landfall but do not have a pinpoint location just yet; Irma may move along the East coast as Matthew did, move up through Florida according to weather models, or move into the Gulf of Mexico.

After Governor Scott’s announcement, water and bread began to run on low supplies at the Walmart on Alafaya and Target in Waterford Lakes Town Center.

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