Updated at 8:15 p.m. Saturday, September 4
All three Dalhousie campuses – Studley, Carleton and Sexton – are without power after Hurricane Earl swooped through Halifax on Saturday morning.
Nova Scotia Power estimates power should be restored to the campus, and other parts of south-end Halifax, by Sunday at 11:30 a.m. So far, damage around the campus appears minimal – a couple of broken windows and some downed tree branches.
Residence move-in going ahead on Sunday
Hurricane Earl knocked out power across the campus when it slammed through Halifax on Saturday, but it wasn’t able to knock out plans to welcome hundreds of new students to residence move-in day on Sunday.
Move-in activities will go ahead as planned, says Heather Sutherland, Assistant Vice-President, Ancillary Services. The process may not be as speedy as usual -- with most residences operating on back-up power – but the good news is that check-in will proceed.
Incoming students should also know that elevators will not be functioning in either O’Brien Hall or Shirreff Hall until full power is restored. As well, some residences have only limited emergency lighting in hallways and stairwells. That said, there will be plenty of folks around to assist with move-in.
And once check-in is done, the fun stuff can begin. The Dalhousie Student Union is still going ahead with orientation activities, beginning on Sunday.
Until then, unless you’re moving into residence (or are considered essential university personnel), Dalhousie Security is urging people to stay away from campus. Buildings were closed early on Saturday and staff are working hard to remove debris, downed branches and limbs left behind by Earl.
Anyone with questions about residence move-in can contact Heather Sutherland at heather.sutherland@dal.ca.
Building access
Any staff members or researchers needing access to labs or parts of buildings that are locked during the power outage should contact Security Services (494-6400) to arrange entry.