Hurricane Irma, the first Category 4 storm to impact Florida in more than a decade, made landfall in Miami one year ago on Sept 10. In the months since, the University of Miami has striven to recover from the physical and financial burdens of the storm and implement policy changes for the upcoming hurricane season….
Living the ibis legend
They say the ibis is the last to leave before a storm, and the first to return after.
Gifford Arboretum grows despite setbacks
A Category 4 hurricane wasn’t the only obstacle to plague the John C. Gifford Arboretum over the past year.
At “Somos Una Voz” stars raise their voices for victims of natural disasters
As the drums beat louder and louder, signaling the countdown and the overwhelming crowd at Marlins Park hooted and hollered. This reaction was not for a baseball game though, but for a unique hurricane relief benefit concert. Superstars from around the world united Oct. 14 to raise money and show support for those affected by…
Jewish community observes high holidays despite Hurricane Irma setbacks
Hebrew greetings of “shana tova,” “have a good year” and “g’mar chatima tov,” or “may you be sealed in the book of life,” echo throughout campus. The Jewish community at UM is celebrating the high holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, just weeks after Hurricane Irma threatened the celebrations. Rosh Hashanah ran from Sept. 20…
Ibis shutter art stands strong
“We will not be afraid.” This is the message that artist Beau Bradbury sent to Miami when his mural, ‘You Don’t Scare Us Irma,’ went viral before the storm hit. Painted on the side of the Geneva Hotel on 15th and Collins in Miami Beach, the hourlong street art project became a popular and powerful…
University protocol, morale put to the test during Irma’s historic wrath
Hurricane Irma was the largest storm in recent memory for many Floridians. For the University of Miami, it brought many firsts: first mandatory evacuation of campus, first relocation of residential students into shelters, first cancellation of classes for almost three weeks. For students, it brought countless new experiences, such as preparing for a catastrophic Category…
Arts departments shuffle around dates, resources to accommodate after Irma
For two and a half weeks the University of Miami has been on a hiatus. Every class, extracurricular activity and event scheduled during that time was canceled. This forced every department to rethink its agenda to accommodate the break and new academic calendar. For UM’s theater department, the 20 days off school meant students could…
Student hotspots survive Hurricane Irma
When the University of Miami canceled classes Sept. 6, UM students and faculty were advised to evacuate. Over two and a half weeks later, people are trickling back onto campus and heading to their go-to restaurants and bars. Restaurant owners faced varying damage to their properties. However, many of UM’s favorite spots are now open…
Academic calendar adjustments are a merciful approach to a disruptive hurricane
Two weeks have passed since the fiercest storm in recent memory scraped through South Florida, leaving debris littered throughout the region and many Floridians displaced from their homes. The University of Miami issued the first mandatory evacuation in its history, reacting to grim forecasts for the East Coast. Classes were canceled for almost three weeks,…
Focus on resiliency, community strength after Irma
Working on post-hurricane coverage in the newsroom last week, I heard a staffer yell, “We should be out of rain by now,” as Miami’s daily rainy-season storm beat down on the windows. This idea that we deserve a moment of relief after a disaster is fundamentally human but unfortunately not how the world works. We…
To create lasting hurricane relief, think short-term and long-term
Following the devastation from three major hurricanes in the past two months, it isn’t surprising to see a number of relief efforts cropping up around our city. University of Miami held the Hurricane Irma Relief Day of Service Sept. 22, sending volunteers to various locations in need of cleanup. My group went to a local…