FIU Adds Week For Hurricane Irma, Reopens Monday

MIAMI, FL — Florida International University is set to resume classes on Monday for the first time since Hurricane Irma struck the Miami area and school officials said they plan to make up the lost time by adding an extra week to the semester. The Biscayne Bay Campus remains under a boil water order. The Bayview student housing area suffered hurricane damage and was not ready for occupancy as of Thursday.

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"Today has been another good day on our way back to normalcy in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma," FIU officials said on Thursday. "This trying time has brought out the best in our FIU family and together we are getting a lot done." (For more hurricane news or local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Miami Patch, and click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

The Green Library has already reopened, while FIU's Recreation Center and Student Health Center were to resume operations on Friday. Food vendors have also started to reopen.

School officials urged students at the Biscayne Bay Campus not to drink from the water fountains. The Barnes and Noble at Biscayne Bay was distributing three bottles of water per person while supplies lasted.

FIU said that many rooms in the Bayview housing area suffered water intrusion and several air-conditioning units were also damaged in the storm.

Watch: Hurricane Irma's Destructive Journey By The Numbers

"The property manager is working hard to get it ready," officials said. "Please look for an announcement this weekend on when Bayview will open."

FIU has added an additional week of classes at the end of the semester to make up for the week of cancellations.

"We recommend that faculty members update their syllabi so that this coming week is a makeup week," officials explained. "New official academic calendars will be published next week."

Finals week will now be Dec. 11 to 16. commencement ceremonies will now take place starting on Sunday, Dec. 17, through Wednesday, Dec. 20.

"We apologize for any inconveniences this schedule change may cause some families," FIU officials added.

A group of FIU voice students under the direction of Vindhya Khare performed for evacuees at the Fuchs Pavilion at Tamiami Park on Thursday. The students led Disney singalongs with the children. Members of the FIU Marching Band followed with an outdoor performance. FIU performers then went to the special needs shelter at PG 6 for a second presentation.

Members of the FIU-FAST team spent Thursday at West Kendall Baptist Hospital and Jackson South helping treat emergency room patients, which have had to fill the void cause by hurricane-related closings of Miami area urgent care centers and other healthcare facilities.

For more information on the FIU schedule changes call 305-348-HELP (4357). You can also call this number outside of regular business hours for recorded updates on university operations.

FEMA
Members of the university community who have been personally impacted by Hurricane Irma and do not have insurance may register with FEMA online or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA.

School officials added that any student who wishes to volunteer to help area disaster efforts should call the American Red Cross. There is a particular need for bilingual (Spanish/English or Creole/English) volunteers in the Greater Miami/Keys area, LaBelle-Clewiston, as well as in and around Naples and Fort Myers. There is some need, as well, in Tampa/ St. Pete and Jacksonville.

There are two steps to join as a volunteer:

Students must sign up officially as a Red Cross volunteer, which can be done online. You will be asked to fill out contact information and a couple of release forms, including a criminal background check. Second, we invite you to click on this link and provide information about your preferred part of Florida to volunteer, and the type of work you would like to support. There is a variety of opportunities to choose from, including shelters, distribution of goods and food, and help enrolling people for financial assistance.

Photo by Paul Scicchitano