SPC Emergency Preparedness

Hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. During this time, SPC officials closely monitor Pinellas County Emergency Management bulletins and official weather forecasts when SPC falls within the National Hurricane Center’s zone of landfall probability. By doing so, SPC will have time to activate the college’s Emergency Management Plan, alert campus personnel, recommend protective actions, including evacuations, and communicate emergency notifications.

To prepare, you should:

• Check with your supervisor for SPC’s emergency procedures for your department.
• Read the Emergency Response procedures for weather emergencies.
• Update your personal Emergency Cell and Text options in MySPC to be sure you receive official college communications during storms.
• Review your personal hurricane plan.

Types of messages

Emergency communications during hurricane season could include:

• Recommended actions to take when the college is monitoring a storm
• Recommended actions to take when the college is preparing for a storm
• What to do when an evacuation is ordered
• Ways to stay in touch with the college during a storm
• When the college anticipates reopening
• What to do if the college is closed for an extended period

In the event of a closure, campuses will reopen only after the college damage assessment and recovery teams have surveyed the damage and re-powered critical systems.

Information regarding re-openings will be provided through:

• this blog
• the college toll-free number: 866-822-3978
• SPC e-mail
• local media outlets.

The college president has authority to close the college or cancel classes. The college is required to close when an official state or local governmental agency issues a mandatory evacuation order for Pinellas County. Beginning in 2010, the evacuation zones for 73,000 property parcels in Pinellas County changed because of new ways of collecting storm data.

*Last reviewed May 23, 2022

In early March, the CDC announced changes to its COVID-19 prevention guidance, recommending that face coverings are not necessary indoors in areas where transmission levels are at a Low or Medium level, subject to individual risk factors.

The CDC advises that people may choose to wear a face covering at any time, “based on personal preference, informed by personal level of risk” and that people with symptoms, a positive test or recent exposure to someone with COVID should wear a mask, per the CDC. Additionally, the Florida Department of Health has announced that businesses are advised to no longer require facial coverings for employees.

In alignment with this guidance and with the recent decrease in community transmission level to Medium in Pinellas and Pasco counties (and anticipation that our entire local community transmission levels will be in the low to medium range by the time we return from break), SPC will no longer maintain an expectation of everyone wearing face coverings indoors once we return from Spring Break on March 14.

Please note that some clinical, lab and studio spaces will require face coverings by nature of the work performed in those areas. Those spaces will be marked as such.

We understand that our students, faculty and staff may have varying risk levels and ask that, in the spirit of our Community of Care at SPC, all Titans please remain mindful of others and provide them social distance or accommodate their requests to wear a face covering when in close proximity.

We will continue to monitor and make adjustments to our face covering protocols as necessary if there are changes in community transmission rates, future waves, new variants or other changes in risk factors. Additionally, at this time, we request all students and employees to continue to use our symptom tracker before coming to a college campus or site and follow guidelines for returning after a positive test case.

For additional information on other college protocols and prevention strategies, please make sure you to consult and bookmark the college’s COVID-19 Hub for the latest information.