American Red Cross shelter exercise at Elting Gymnasium Aug. 5

SUNY New Paltz will co-lead an emergency sheltering exercise with the American Red Cross on Saturday, Aug. 5, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Members of the campus community are advised that there will be activity around Elting Gymnasium while the exercise is in progress. There may also be reduced parking in the vicinity on that day.

The exercise is being coordinated by our Office of Emergency Management to test our plans for using campus spaces as shelters during times of emergency, including the division of roles and responsibilities between campus and Red Cross personnel.

The use of campus facilities as emergency shelter spaces stems from a long-running agreement between the University and the American Red Cross. Most recently, the agreement was invoked to house Ulster County residents during the severe ice storm of February 2022. In 2012, the Athletic & Wellness Center was used as a shelter for community residents during Superstorm Sandy.