Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
At least three local colleges and universities have designated ideal buildings for emergency shelters to house victims of man-made or natural disasters such as Hurricane Florence, which wreaked havoc in portions of North and South Carolina and forced the evacuation of more than 1 million residents earlier this month.
Evacuees from the storm-tossed Carolinas fled to the University of Maryland, College Park, where they bunkered down at Richie Coliseum. The Maryland Department of Human Services and the Red Cross also activated a memorandum of understanding with Chesapeake College for about a week but no families actually stayed at the site, said Kate Maxwell, executive associate to the president.
At Towson University, Cpl. Joseph Gregory of the Office of Environmental Health and Safety, Emergency Preparedness said Burdick Hall had been designated a shelter.
Gregory explained that in the event of a hurricane or other disaster, state officials either request or notify Towson, UMD or Chesapeake College when they want to use a building as a shelter but take action only if approval is given by university administrators.
Even Chesapeake President Clifford P. Coppersmith jumped into action, sending out an email to faculty and staff: “Please welcome our guest with our Eastern Shore hospitality. Public Safety officers will be available.”
Gregory said the state Human Services Department provided funding for Burdick Hall to make it a fully functioning shelter. He said that a generator was installed to keep the building running in case of power outage. State officials actually run the shelters at the schools, providing food, water, blankets and other necessities people might need during an emergency situation, he said.
Burdick Hall, built and named after physical education instructor William Burdick in 1968, has a capacity of between 500 to 600 people, and is equipped with bathroom and shower facilities, officials said. Considered the university’s gymnasium, the building currently has an American Ninja Warrior course, a rock climbing area and a swimming pool, in addition to the regular gym equipment. It is open to all Towson students for free as long as they have a specialized card for entrance. Gregory said the building also serves as a shelter for students, with the difference that the university itself runs the shelter.
During Hurricane Irene in 2011, Burdick Hall was home to 600 foreign exchange student evacuees from Ocean City, records show.
“We learned lessons on good and bad situations during Irene,” said Gregory. “The state wasn’t as prepared, but it was a good work-through process this time around. We are more prepared. If an emergency does happen, it would be a more coordinated effort with the state and university.”
“I had no idea Towson University had an emergency shelter, I think they should post it on the universities website,” said junior Jennifer Varriale.
Benjamin Wischmann, a first year transfer student, takes comfort in knowing such a building is on campus.
“As someone who is new to living in Towson and as a Towson student it gives me a sense of security knowing that we have a shelter in case of any emergency,” said Wischmann. “So in a real situation, if crowded hospitals were to discharge stabled patients in order to take in those with more serious injuries, they could have to discharge them to Burdick.”
The university will always be evolving, and it will always make sure students and the community feel safe and have a safe place to go in case of an emergency, Gregory said.
“We want to be a good community and help people out,” he added.