UPDATE: Feb. 13

Emory University will be open at its normal business hours on Friday, Feb. 14, following three days of being closed during severe weather conditions.

Faculty, staff, students and visitors to campus are urged to be aware of possible falling ice from buildings and trees and to use only main entrances to buildings. Some areas may be cordoned off for safety reasons.

Shuttle service in and around the campus will be on normal schedules. However, road conditions may cause delays. Also, the top levels of some of the parking decks may still have ice, preventing parking. Emory Transportation and Parking Services will have updated information on parking on campus. 

Preparing for power loss

The University was closed for three days due to severe weather and adverse travel conditions. Throughout the closure, Campus Services continued its preparations for severe weather outcomes, including potential loss of power.

One of the biggest concerns, according to Karen Salisbury, chief of staff to the vice president of Campus Services, had been the possibility of falling tree limbs and other debris that might be shaken loose by the sleet and freezing rain. 

"We were asking people to stay indoors," Salisbury said, referring to students in residence on campus and staff sheltering in place for animal care and essential services.

Emory Transportation and Parking Services worked to contact parking permit holders on campus to move their cars into Peavine deck to protect them in the event of falling limbs.

Campus Services

"We also worked with [DeKalb County] on the roads, with the Starvine Bridge as a priority for the C shuttle," Salisbury said. The Clifton Corridor Transportation Management Association shuttle suspended operations because of the adverse weather conditions.

"We attacked the roads nonstop since 5:30 a.m.," said Todd Kerzie, associate vice president of Campus Services.

 The roads initially were covered with mostly slushy ice but passable with careful driving. As the temperatures started dropping on Wednesday afternoon, we noticed the roads and sidewalks starting to crust over and become more icy," Kerzie said.

The Campus Services' Roads and Grounds crew focused on keeping the entrances to Emory University Hospital and its loading areas clear and safe, Salisbury and Kerzie said. Crews also worked on clearing the sidewalks primarily between the residence halls, shuttle stops and the Dobbs University Center and the Student Academic and Activity Center.

In the event of power outages, Campus Services planned to use its portable fueling tank to fuel generators at campus buildings on a priority basis to restore power, Salisbury said.