National

Evacuated Student Returning To U Tampa

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Days after Ian lashed Florida as a powerful Category 4 storm, one University of Tampa student speaks on her evacuation.

Published

2 years ago

September 30, 2022

Marlena Leonard

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Days after Ian lashed Florida as a powerful Category 4 storm, millions of people living in Florida are left to pick up the pieces. Among them Bahamians who call the Sunshine State home, including a University of Tampa student, who had to evacuate her dorm.

Destiny Greenslade is a sophomore at the University of Tampa. She says as Hurricane Ian approached, her previous experience with storms kept her calm.

Last Sunday, U.T. notified students that there would be no classes this week. But, on Monday, she got another e-mail, this time with more pressing news.

Luckily, Greenslade started work on an evacuation plan with her parents beforehand. The UT student, and her brother, who also lives in Tampa are currently staying with a friend. But, as the president of University of Tampa’s Caribbean Student Association, she also kept tabs on where some of her fellow Bahamians were during the storm.

Fortunately, for Greenslade and other UT students, it seems that their alma mater was spared the brunt of the storm.

The University of Tampa releasing an update to their Facebook page saying: “We know we are very fortunate to have avoided the worst of Hurricane Ian while many in our state were not.”

Classes resume on Monday, and for those who can’t make it as a result of the storm, UT promises excused absences and extended efforts from faculty to ensure students don’t fall behind.