Hurricane Sandy update

Cornell's Ithaca campus is open and classes are in session. Emergency preparedness teams continue to monitor the progress of Hurricane Sandy, now a low-pressure system, as it moves inland. The forecast for the Ithaca area calls for breezy winds to linger until noon, diminish and then pick up this evening. There appears to be no flood threat to the area.

At Weill Cornell Medical College, all Oct. 30 classes are canceled. The medical college will continue to operate essential services only. All facilities were monitored throughout the night, power is on, and the college is dry.

Cornell NYC Tech in Chelsea will also remain closed through Oct. 30. Cornell Financial Engineering in Manhattan is also closed for the second day.

University officials are urging the Cornell community to take precautions and monitor updates as Hurricane Sandy progresses inland. The university is open, and classes are in session.

As of Oct. 29, Sandy remained a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds strengthening slightly to 86 mph, said Jessica Rennells, a climatologist with Cornell's Northeast Regional Climate Center. The storm was expected to make landfall the night of Oct. 29 over the Mid-Atlantic states.

"Damaging winds will affect a large portion of the Northeast as Sandy's wind field stretches hundreds of miles, making prolonged power outages likely," Rennells said. "Another aspect of this late season storm is snowfall. Blizzard warnings have been issued in West Virginia as this storm combines with cold Northern air."

At 5:30 p.m. Oct. 29, Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick issued a statement to the community recommending "no unnecessary travel, including cyclists and pedestrians, after 9 p.m."

Cornell emergency preparedness teams are making contingency plans in the event of worsening conditions such as heavy rain, high winds and power outrages. According to an Oct. 29 statement from Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT), "all bus routes are operating as normal with no delays or cancellation of service anticipated."

Any change to the operating status of the university will be posted at http://www.cornell.edu and via the Emergency Notification System. All are urged to enter emergency notification and emergency contact information online if they have not done so already.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Robert Simmon with data courtesy of the NASA/NOAA GOES Project Scien

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 13 (GOES-13) captured this natural-color image of Hurricane Sandy at 1:45 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (17:45 Universal Time) on Oct. 28. Note how a line of clouds from a continental weather system runs south to north along the Appalachian Mountains, approaching from the west to meet the offshore storm.

Joe Wilensky/Cornell Chronicle

Students walk through the engineering quad as Hurricane Sandy begins.

Students should go to Student Center online and select the links for Emergency Contact Info and Emergency Mass Notification.

Employees should go to Employee Essentials online, click on the Personal Information tab and select the links for EMN Phone Number and Emergency Contact(s).

Less urgent updates will be provided via email, Cornell websites including the home page and local media.

Students should be aware that Cornell Dining has emergency plans in place to provide meals if power shuts down or if staff members are unable to report to work. In the event of staffing shortages, meal services may need to be modified to fewer locations.

Off-campus students are advised to make preparations at their places of residence. These include having adequate supplies of food, water and cash (in case ATMs are not working), fully fueled vehicles, and charging cell phones and computers.

In New York City, Weill Cornell Medical College remained open only for essential operations Oct. 29. All public events and classes were canceled. Patients are encouraged to call their physicians regarding the scheduling of their appointments.

Due to transit closures, Cornell NYC Tech operations in Chelsea were also closed Oct. 29, according to tech campus officials.

All are reminded that gorges and trails should be avoided. Call 911 or 255-1111 to report emergencies.

For more information about emergency preparations, visit Special Conditions.