Shelter at East Stroudsburg University Set Up to Assist Residents

Posted by: admin on November 1, 2012, No Comments

Harrisburg – A mega-shelter has been set up at East Stroudsburg University (ESU) of Pennsylvania to assist citizens from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York who have been evacuated or are in need of temporary shelter caused by Hurricane Sandy.

The shelter is located at Koehler Fieldhouse arena with a total of 400 cots, supplies and food available to those in need. The shelter is expected to remain open at least until November 2, 2012, when the department can reassess the shelter need.

“Hurricane Sandy has left many people without power, and subsequently, water and food,” said Public Welfare Secretary Gary D. Alexander. “With help from the Red Cross, university officials and the Pennsylvania Incident Management Team (PA-IMT), we were able to provide temporary shelter to those who need a warm and dry place to stay as they try and pick up the pieces.”

The Red Cross is assisting with operations at the shelter. A former shelter, located at East Stroudsburg High School – South, is now closed and all evacuees have been relocated to the ESU site. Currently more than 36 evacuees are at the ESU shelter with facilities also available for pets.

According to ESU President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D., the shelter has had minimal impact on university operations. “Our students remain our number one priority,” said Welsh. “We have taken the necessary steps to ensure that all classes regularly scheduled for those areas, now identified as shelter operations, have been relocated and students have been made aware of the changes. ESU will remain part of all efforts to assist our community and its residents during this difficult time.”

The Office of the State Fire Commissioner has provided a 10-member Incident Management Team to assist DPW in shelter operations. The team provides logistic and administrative support to state agencies and local authorities when requested during an emergency.

East Stroudsburg University is one of the 14 universities which comprise the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). PASSHE is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, with about 115,000 students.

For more information on DPW shelter operations at ESU, please contact 570-422-3976.

Media contact: Brenda Friday, East Stroudsburg University, 570-422-3455 or Carey Miller, DPW, 717-425-7606.