Hurricane Irma: University of South Florida leader fled state as students braced for storm, report says

As Hurricane Irma bore down on students at the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg, the school's leader fled to safety in Atlanta before implying via email that she remained on campus.

That's according to the Tampa Bay Times, which reported that regional chancellor Sophia Wisniewska resigned Monday after attempts to fire her over "an intolerable safety risk to our students," as Judy Genshaft, the university system's president, wrote.

Ten students still lingered in the campus' dormitories on Sept. 9, as Irma targeted St. Petersburg. That night, after the dorms had closed, Genshaft emailed Wisniewska to ask about the state of the campus.

"As I walked around the USFSP campus, I heard more birds chirping than students talking," Wisniewska wrote, according to the Times, describing a "quiet before the storm."

The next morning, as Irma hit Florida, Wisniewska said in another email to Genshaft, "P.S. Last night, I arrived in Atlanta, where I will stay for the next two days."

Wisniewska said she suggested closing the dorms days before Irma shifted toward St. Petersburg, the newspaper reported, but was overruled as county evacuation orders hadn't been issued.

Genshaft then criticized Wisniewska for not overruling that overruling a day later, citing a failure to "respond to the evolving emergency." 

The Times reported that Wisniewska, a well-liked leader in the community, agreed to leave the university on May 1 after a spring teaching assignment.

Read the full report at the Tampa Bay Times.

Follow Josh Hafner on Twitter: @joshhafner

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