Polk State is tracking Alex

Polk State College is tracking a tropical system that is expected to become Tropical Storm Alex and encourages students, faculty, staff, and members of the community to stay connected for updates from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the College.

Polk State will continue to monitor the storm but at this time it is expected that Polk State College operations will be unaffected. Updates will be provided on www.polk.edu, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

As of 11 a.m. Friday, the National Hurricane Center reported that it is expected to become a tropical storm by Friday night. The storm is producing heavy rainfall and maximum sustained winds of 40 mph while moving northeast at 5 mph toward the west coast of Florida. The impacts to Polk County are expected to be limited to rain and localized flooding.

Polk State urges everyone to sign up for AlertPolk and monitor messaging from Polk County Emergency Management, Florida Division of Emergency Management, and the National Hurricane Center.

College officials also encourage students, faculty, and staff to ensure their contact information in Passport is up to date to receive emergency alerts from Polk State. Students should check under “My Details” and employees should check under “Personal” and “Change Contact Info.” Numbers entered in the “Cellular Number” field in the “Personal Information” section will be used for emergency voice and text messages.