The University of North Carolina at Pembroke declared that Wednesday, 4 September 2019, at 12:05, classes were cancelled until further notice due to Hurricane Dorian.
A typical hurricane party is uniting in an assumed “safe” house and inviting guests to bring survival items, such as radios, batteries, water, sleeping bags, generators, disposable cutlery, camping equipment for cooking and food. While alcohol is well-tolerated at hurricane parties, for underage drinkers, it is not on the list of “preparedness items.” Partiers survive together in the same safe house for several days while the storm dissipates.
Out of 67 UNCP students surveyed, only 22 have downloaded the LiveSafe app onto their phones. Only 13 planned to stay on campus and only 17 do not have evacuation routes planned and have not purchased extra water and prepared food. Of the 67 surveyed, there were 8 who planned on attending or hosting a hurricane party.
Jorden Revels who has the LiveSafe app, planned to stay off campus in Pembroke, had purchased extra water and prepared foods and planned on having a party.
Revels smiled, “I put it on Twitter and let everyone know that we are going to have a good old potluck hurricane party because there’s a 99 percent chance that everyone’s fridge is going to go out. Might as well take advantage of what you do have while you have it.”
In the survey, of the 8 who planned on parties, each of those 8 had also purchased extra water and prepared foods. Of those same 8 “party-preppers,” 4 have downloaded the LiveSafe app onto their phones. That is nearly a quarter of the total students surveyed who have downloaded the LiveSafe app.
What does this survey reveal about student hurricane preparedness? One may ascertain that future event planning requires, insight, fortitude, preparedness, and social skills. It also projects that “party-preppers” may have paid closer attention to their orientation presentations when the advantageous features of the LiveSafe app were recommended by Emergency Health & Services.
“We want our faculty and students to be prepared and the LiveSafe app provides that,” said Mr. Travis Bryant, Vice Chancellor for Campus Safety and Emergency Operations. (He is in the University Center Annex room 207 and may be reached at 910.521.6175 or travis.bryant@uncp.edu.)
“The LiveSafe app is a student’s best tool in preparedness. Mr. Bullard of Emergency Health & Services shared, “We have an incentive program too. You get $20.00 in Brave bucks for food and such on campus when you download the app.”