The Eye Came Through Humacao: Why UPR's Hardest-Hit Campus Held Classes in Tents for Months

[The University of Puerto Rico at Humacao announced suspension of all academic and administrative activities as Hurricane Maria, a Category 5 storm with sustained winds exceeding 175 mph, approached Puerto Rico on a direct track toward the eastern half of the island. With the storm expected to make landfall near Humacao, campus buildings were secured and all personnel were directed to evacuate to safe locations. Communications via SMS and email were expected to degrade as Maria approached.]

[University of Puerto Rico at Humacao remained closed as administrators assessed catastrophic storm damage. The campus library suffered a destroyed roof, extensive mold infestation throughout its collections of books, periodicals, and archival materials, and the loss of nearly all furniture and computers. Chemistry and biology lab air conditioning and fume hood mounts were torn off by 250-kilometer-per-hour winds. With the island-wide power grid destroyed, no electricity, internet, or cellular service was available; all communications occurred via battery-powered radio and in-person administrator visits to campus buildings.]

[The University of Puerto Rico at Humacao reopened for academic operations on October 30, 2017, six weeks after Hurricane Maria. Because mold contamination and lack of air conditioning made most interior classrooms uninhabitable, courses were held in outdoor tents erected on campus grounds. The university library remained closed pending mold remediation and reconstruction. Campus electricity was not expected to be restored for months. Students attended classes without functioning restrooms, air conditioning, or reliable water in many buildings. The university requested that all faculty and students return despite these conditions to preserve the academic semester.]