Kaelyn Benoit
The Southern Editor
Earlier this morning, around 10:30 a.m., the northeast side of Florida Southern’s campus lost power. Students located in Jenkins Residence Hall, Dell Hall, Miller Hall, and Hollis Hall experienced a complete loss of power, air conditioning, and WiFi network connection, alongside Publix Commons– more commonly known as the Greek Suites.
Previously, the college announced that all activities would be canceled from Sept. 25 at 10 p.m. to Sept. 27 at 8 a.m.. As Tropical Storm Helene makes its way up the Florida Gulf Coast, classes have been moved to a synchronous remote format. While residential communities have remained open, students have been advised to stay inside and remain prepared to shelter where they are located.
“The outage was storm related,” Director of Safety and Security Eric Rauch said, describing what occurred from a technical standpoint. The power going down and the burning smell in the Greek Village can all be traced back to a “partial power failure,” due to one “leg’ of the three legged power system going down.
Residential students within Publix 61, 62 and 63 were asked to evacuate following the initial power shut down.
“Pretty much all of the Greeks Suites were evacuated,” current junior and Publix 61 resident, Gabriel LeBlond said.
Following the power going down, students from this Residential Community were held outside “for about an hour” as they waited for updates regarding the status of the buildings.
“Pretty much all of the Greeks Suites were evacuated,” current junior and Publix 61 resident, Gabriel LeBlond said.
While outside, students reported seeing fire trucks in the surrounding area. Students in the Greek Village also reported smelling “something burning” as they were moved outside of the buildings.
“I could smell it as we were passing the second floor in the staircase. Apparently the smell was present in other buildings as well,” LeBlond said, describing his experience with the evacuation.
Publix 63 resident Emily Evans echoes this sentiment.
“It definitely had a musty smell,” Evans said. “I woke up and the fire alarm was blaring. I walked outside and I heard girls say there was smoke on the third floor of the Kappa Delta side.”
The burning smell was present throughout all three buildings, and rumors of an electrical fire, on top of the evacuation itself caused many students to speculate at the time of the incident as to what may have happened.
The remaining students affected by the outage, living in Dell, Miller, Hollis, or Jenkins Hall were not asked to evacuate, and were told by Community Living that Facilities was “aware and [working] with the city of Lakeland” to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.
When this occurred, the air conditioning system began to work overtime, as it had less power to draw from. This created the burning smell throughout all three buildings in Publix Commons. Campus Safety assures students that there was no fire present, and while the power connection has currently been restored, Rauch reminds students to stay prepared in the event of another outage.
“The storm is set to pick back up between three and five,” Rauch said.
At the time of publication, all affected students have been able to return to their dorms, and the storm is being closely monitored by the school.
“Beginning this evening, students are advised to remain inside until the storm passes and FSC has issued an all clear,” the Florida Southern Weather Updates page reads. As of 3 p.m. this afternoon, students are encouraged to dine early, as dining options are now set to close at 6:30 p.m. Additionally, all classes will remain virtual through Friday, Sept. 27.
In light of the incoming heavy winds and rain as Tropical Storm Helene continues, students are urged to keep a close eye on any and all communications from the college, via their student email. Additionally, students can visit Florida Southern’s Weather Updates page on the College website, where Florida Southern’s Emergency Management Team provides continuous updates as the storm progresses.
