UMBC officials continue to keep a close eye on the movement of Hurricane Isabel as it approaches the U.S. East Coast. Current forecasts predict that Isabel could possibly impact the Baltimore-Washington region on Thursday or Friday.

A UMBC emergency response team -- chaired by the Vice President for Student Affairs and the Chief of UMBC Campus Police, and including representatives from the Physical Plant, Campus Police, Office of Residential Life, Office of Institutional Advancement, and numerous offices across campus -- is at work communicating with resident students, readying emergency generators, securing loose items on campus that could create hazards in high winds, preparing in case of flooding, and taking other actions to ensure the safety of UMBC students, faculty, and staff, in the event that the hurricane or other related weather events occur.

Parents or family members with questions or concerns about resident students at UMBC should call the Office of Residential Life at 410-455-2591. To report an emergency or safety hazard, call the UMBC Campus Police at ext. 5-5555 on campus or 410-455-5555 off campus.

A decision on whether to close the campus will not be made until early Thursday morning when officials have a better understanding of how Isabel will impact the Baltimore-Washington region. The University will share initial announcements about campus closings with radio and TV stations; however, for the most current information, please call the UMBC hot line numbers: 410-455-8881/8882/8883/8884/8885 with an on-campus number of 5-8881/8882/8883/8884/8885. Everyone is encouraged to pick one of these numbers at random to reduce the likelihood of inundating one number with calls.

UMBC's safety Web site (www.umbc.edu/safety) includes campus closing/reopening updates, hotline numbers, and links to forecasts and resources on preparedness and emergency procedures from State and Federal officials.

While UMBC's severe weather policy states that we will try to conduct business as usual whenever possible, we highly recommend that parents, students and other members of our campus community monitor the situation closely and use their own judgement and individual discretion in preparing for the potential storm and determining if students should leave campus in advance of the storm.