Schools

• Broward County schools closed Thursday & Friday. Check the District's Web site at www.browardschools.com or call the Rumor Control Hotline at (754) 321-0321 for updates.

• Miami-Dade County schools will be closed Thursday. No decision has been made yet regarding Friday cancellations.

• Monroe County Schools will be open Thursday. Students may be released early depending on the track of the storm. For more information, call the Key West Rumor Control Hot Line (305) 809-1108.

• Beginning at 4 p.m. Thursday, all FAU classes are cancelled. Classes held on Friday are cancelled. Classes are expected to resume on Saturday. Please check this or emergency hotlines on Friday after 3 p.m. for Saturday's status. For continual updates, visit www.fau.edu or call the FAU hotline at (561) 297-2020, (561) 799-8020, (954) 236-1800 or (772) 873-3330.

• MIAMI DADE COLLEGE announced all campuses and outreach centers will close on Thursday and Friday. Only essential and emergency personnel will be allowed on campus. A decision on the status of weekend classes and activities will be made on Friday.

• Classes will be closed at all BROWARD COMMUNITY COLLEGE locations on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Classes will resume on Monday as scheduled.

• UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI will remain in session Thursday. A rumor control line has been established at (305) 284-5151.

• AMERICAN INTERCONTINENTAL UNIVERSITY will be closed for classes Thursday and Friday. Please call the Campus Hotline for further information: (954) 446-6112.

• ST. THOMAS UNIVERSITY is closed until further notice.

• Florida School for the Deaf & the Blind in St. Augustine sent hundreds of students home to South Florida Wednesday so parents could decide whether to evacuate. The students normally return home each weekend.

Evacuations, Shelters

The Broward Emergency Operations Center has announced a recommended evacuation of people living on the barrier islands east of the Intracoastal Waterway effective Thursday at 8 a.m.

Red Cross Shelters open at 2pm for residents who wish to evacuate. Shelter Locations

Miami-Dade County issued voluntary evacuations for residents in mobile homes and low-lying areas that flood regularly. A shelter has been opened at Charles Drew Middle School, located at 1801 NW 60 Street in Miami.

Hotlines

Broward County Hurricane Hot Line: (954) 831-4000
Miami-Dade: (305) 468-5900
Report Price Gouging: 1-866-9-NOSCAM
Report A Power Outage: 1-800-4OUTAGE

Courts

• All Divisions of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida will be suspended at 1 p.m. This includes the Court's locations in Key West, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Fort Pierce. Further information about the status of the Court's operations for Friday will be available on the Court's Web site at www.flsd.uscourts.gov.

• All courthouses in Broward will be closed on Thursday and Friday.

Airports & Transportation

• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport will close at 7 p.m. Thursday.

• Miami International Airport is open.

• Broward County transit services stopped at noon Thursday.

• The Broward Sheriff's Office and U.S. Coast Guard activated an emergency flotilla to move large pleasure boats upriver. Miami-Dade and Broward drawbridges have been locked down for evacuating cars and for emergency vehicles.

• Tri-Rail will cease operations Thursday after southbound train P655 departs the Mangonia Park Station at 2:40 p.m. and northbound train P656 departs the Miami Airport Station at 3:19 p.m. Trains will not operate on Friday. Passengers should monitor local news reports, www.tri-rail.com or call 1-800-TRI-RAIL for service updates throughout the weekend.

Other Closings & Information

• Sawgrass Mills Mall and Boca Town Center are closed. Broward Mall plans to close later Thursday afternoon.

• The Port of Miami is closed to vessel traffic.

• Port Everglades remains open to vehicular port traffic and for businesses inside the port. The U.S. Coast Guard has restricted ships from coming into the port as of Wednesday night.

• Biscayne National Park is closed.

Additional Links:
Katrina satellite view
Hurricane local statement
Miami weather
Tropical Storm Katrina