To: Off campus GU students
To: Off campus GU students
From: Judi Biggs Garbuio, Vice President for Student Development
Date: November 23, 2015
RE: Continued services during the power outage
Over the past several days the University has been making an effort to connect with students who may still be negatively impacted by the storm damage from last Tuesday. As of today, Monday, November 23, 2015, we believe there are many who still are without electrical power, heat, and hot water.
At this point, because of the continuing diligent work and updates from local power companies, we are sending this email to all off campus students in hopes that if you have power, you can share this message with friends who may not. We want to ensure that if any of our students are in need of assistance, they know what resources are available on and off campus. Please see the list of resources below, which includes available services on campus, or in the Spokane community, to access electrical power for charging phones and personal equipment, internet, and showers. If you have friends who do not have power, please share this information with them however possible. We want all of our students to stay healthy and safe.
Over the next 24-48 hours the Spokane region is expecting increasingly colder temperatures and possible snowfall with minimal accumulation. Because of this, it is more important than ever to take measures to ensure your health and safety. Below are listed several services located here on campus as well as in the Spokane community:
Showering:
If you are in need of a shower you have access to the Rudolf Fitness Center: Regular hours on November 23; Nov. 24th, 6am-8pm, and Wed. Nov. 25th, 10am-6pm, prior to the University closing for Thanksgiving break. If you need additional help, please contact the Residence Life on-call professional at 509-313-6865 who will try to assist you with your needs. There is limited availability for showering on campus in one of two houses.
Food:
Many local food options are available now that power has been restored in many retail areas. The food services on campus are open on a regular operating schedule while the University is open. After Tuesday, November 24th, many offices will be closed and students may purchase meals on campus if they do not have meal plans. The hours of operation for food services can be found here: https://zagdining.sodexomyway.com/ Remember that there will be abbreviated hours of operation due to the holiday closings.
Shelter and other items:
At this time on-campus emergency sheltering has been suspended. This decision will be reviewed if the need arises over the next three days as temperatures are expected to drop significantly. If you are in need of blankets and a flashlight, you can call the Residence Life on call professional at 509-313-6865 (between 9am and 9pm). Please bring your GU student I.D.
According to an announcement last week, the following temporary shelters are still in place:
The shelter is located at the Girl Scouts facility at 1404 N. Ash St. in Spokane. Any residents in need of shelter are welcome at any time, whether it’s for a few days or just a few hours. Beds, meals and electricity will be available at the shelter, and people can also bring their small pets as long as they have cages for them.
There are two other shelters open at Valley Assembly of God at 15618 E Broadway in Spokane Valley, and the United Methodist Church on 204 4th St. in Cheney.
Residents evacuating to the shelter are asked to bring their own sheets, pillows, clothing, hygiene and personal items. These items include things like medication and specialty items like diapers and baby items.
Nurses will also be on staff to help people with medical issues like plugging in their oxygen tanks.
The Red Cross is continuing to stay in contact with Emergency Management to assess the need for an additional shelters.
Additional questions can be directed to 509-990-0069.
Other Resources
The Office of Emergency Preparedness and Risk Management is coordinating with local emergency response personnel to provide a list of resources for Spokane residents on the Gonzaga University Wind Storm/Power Outage Website. From the Gonzaga University main page, click on the yellow ‘Wind Storm/Power Outage” box located on the lower right-hand side to visit the site. The site includes information about power outage preparedness and safety, links to find resources such as fuel or grocery stores, and volunteer opportunities. Contact the office with questions or resource suggestions at emergencyprep@gonzaga.edu
Volunteer opportunities:
Students, staff and faculty interested in assisting with Windstorm 2015 volunteer efforts are asked to go towww.volunteerspokane.org to create a volunteer profile. Volunteers must indicate that they want to be contacted in the event of a disaster in their user profile. Catholic Charities is working with the United Way of Spokane County and will reach out to these volunteers as opportunities to help are identified.
Thousands of community members have been impacted by the recent storm and may need emergency shelter and assistance through the weekend. Volunteers will be needed to help at the shelters and provide services to those most affected by the windstorm.
Please connect so we know you are doing well. If you have other needs that are not addressed above, please feel free to e-mail me directly at biggsgarbuio@gonzaga.edu