Malaysians not in Matthew’s path
Students live in Tampa – a designated evacuation centre for Orlando
PETALING JAYA: Malaysian student Syahirah Abd Razak is among the lucky ones.
A Masters student at the University of South Florida, she is based in Tampa, Florida, which was among the US states hit by Hurricane Matthew.
The hurricane killed more than 300 people in Haiti. Millions of Americans were subject to evacuation orders but Tampa, where she lives, was not hit as badly as other parts of the state.
Syahirah said local authorities issued weather alerts on Thursday and Friday, and schools and universities were ordered closed.
“There were strong winds during the two days but I did not feel scared or panicked.
“Since then, the situation has been getting better here in Tampa,” said the 31-year-old who is in Florida with her husband and their two daughters aged two and five.
Syahirah said Tampa was designated as the evacuation centre for displaced hurricane victims in Orlando, which is located 135km away.
The strong impact of the hurricane in Orlando led to the closure of the popular Disney World, the first time in 11 years that the theme park has had to close due to bad weather.
Syahirah said Matthew was the second hurricane to hit Florida after Hurricane Hermine earlier this month.
“Hurricane Hermine was even stronger than Matthew in Tampa, as I could see trees being uprooted and blown away by the winds,” said Syahirah, who keeps in touch with other Malaysian students to exchange the latest information on the storm.
She said she keeps about a week’s supply of food and water at her home, adding that the supermarkets have remained open.
Ahmad Fitri Amir, 33, a PhD student at the University of Florida where he and eight other Malaysians are enrolled, said Gainesville, where his university was located, was not badly hit by Hurricane Matthew.
“I actually flew to Chicago a day before the hurricane arrived as I had a prior engagement there,” he said.
Malaysian Education Attache in Washington Mazwan Manan said two Malaysian students – one from the Embry Riddle University in Florida and another from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia have been relocated to Gainesville for safety. It was located further inland.
“They are now staying with our PhD students and their family members at the University of Florida in Gainesville and are safe.”
Mazwan said that US Immigrations Customs records show that there 10 Malaysian students in Florida and 19 in Georgia in areas affected by the hurricane.
A posting on Education Malaysia Washington’s Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/emwdc/) urged Malaysian students in affected areas to be vigilant and follow instructions by authorities.
It also provided contact details of Malaysian officials in Washington for students who need assistance due to the hurricane.