If you were anywhere on campus September 14-16, you could not have missed it.

Images of it were on computer screens. And every television, it seemed, was turned to the Weather Channel. Floyd was on everyone’s mind.

When the Level 3 hurricane took a late turn to the north, you could almost hear a collective sigh of relief from the university. But as the storm made landfall September 16 on its way to wreaking havoc along the East Coast from Myrtle Beach to Maine, the questions lingered.

What if Floyd had hit Greenville?

How would Furman cope with massive flooding and power outages? What if the telephone and water services were disrupted?

Those were just some of the questions that were addressed by the emergency response team. The group, composed of representatives from public safety, student services, dining services, marketing and public relations, and facilities services, met as Floyd hovered off the coast of Charleston.

"It is unlikely that we will get much from Floyd but let’s treat this as a worst-case scenario," said Emergency Management Coordinator Bernie Stanton. "Let this be an exercise."

In the event of a natural disaster, Stanton said "life safety" issues such as medical supplies and water would be addressed first. Establishing an effective mode of communication would come second, while shelter and food concerns would be third on the list.

"That numbering (between two and three) might surprise some, but when there is a disaster, communication is the key," said Stanton. "After all, you cannot implement an emergency response plan unless you have communication."

In the event of a campus-wide electrical outage, Stanton said batteries would power telephone services for approximately eight hours — long enough to get some generators running. Batteries would also provide just enough power in buildings to light exits.

Marketing and public relations would also make arrangements for another university to host the Furman homepage until electrical power could be restored.

"Getting the word out to anxious parents concerning the safety of their children is very important," he said. "The Web and telephone come into play here."

As Floyd neared the Carolina coast, the university did post a site where employees and students could learn about the storm’s projected path and impact on Greenville.

Without electrical power the university has enough food stockpiled to feed the university community for three days, said David Randolph, director of dining services. Most of those meals would be in the form of bag lunches.