Posted 8:25 p.m. The University canceled Thursday classes after Metro officials announced that bus and rail service would stop at 11 a.m. as Hurricane Isabel barrels towards D.C. University officials are bracing the campus for possible flooding and power outages and are urging students to stay indoors for the storm's duration.
Robert Chernak, senior vice president for student and academic support services, said officials would decide whether to cancel Friday classes Thursday afternoon but that a Friday cancellation "is a strong possibility."
"My suspicion is that it's really going to be contingent on what's going to be the area damage," he said.
He said all GW dining facilities would remain open Thursday, but noted that they will be operated by a "skeletal staff." GW libraries and the Health and Wellness Center will also be open Thursday.
While the eye of the hurricane will pass to the west of D.C., the city will see winds between 40 and 70 m.p.h. and three to six inches of rain starting Thursday night, said Jim Travers, meteorologist-in-charge of the National Weather Service's Baltimore-Washington Weather Forecast Office.
"Don't get too hung up on the eye of the storm because the effect of the storm will be felt hundreds of miles in either direction," Travers said.
Travers said the storm would knock trees over and cause power outages throughout the District. He said torrential rain would cause flooding in the area, and added that rising waters from the nearby Potomac River would inundate some city streets by Friday night.
"We're all going to share a little bit in the pain," he said.
John Petrie, assistant vice president for public safety and emergency management, said students should stay indoors, preferably in hallways and interior rooms that are not near windows. He said while students won't be forced to remain inside during the storm, they should heed the University's advice.
"We're not going to trap people," he said. "We're going to tell them to do things that make them safe."
Robert Chernak, senior vice president for student and academic support services, said officials would decide whether to cancel Friday classes Thursday afternoon but that a Friday cancellation "is a strong possibility."
"My suspicion is that it's really going to be contingent on what's going to be the area damage," he said.
He said all GW dining facilities would remain open Thursday, but noted that they will be operated by a "skeletal staff." GW libraries and the Health and Wellness Center will also be open Thursday.
While the eye of the hurricane will pass to the west of D.C., the city will see winds between 40 and 70 m.p.h. and three to six inches of rain starting Thursday night, said Jim Travers, meteorologist-in-charge of the National Weather Service's Baltimore-Washington Weather Forecast Office.
"Don't get too hung up on the eye of the storm because the effect of the storm will be felt hundreds of miles in either direction," Travers said.
Travers said the storm would knock trees over and cause power outages throughout the District. He said torrential rain would cause flooding in the area, and added that rising waters from the nearby Potomac River would inundate some city streets by Friday night.
"We're all going to share a little bit in the pain," he said.
John Petrie, assistant vice president for public safety and emergency management, said students should stay indoors, preferably in hallways and interior rooms that are not near windows. He said while students won't be forced to remain inside during the storm, they should heed the University's advice.
"We're not going to trap people," he said. "We're going to tell them to do things that make them safe."
