As of 2 pm, public transportation will also stop, which is why the university is closing a little earlier. “That way everyone has time to go home,” the university writes in an announcement on social media.

The university advises everyone to be very careful, stay indoors and continue working at home or follow online education.

The university has changed two academic ceremonies as a precaution. This concerns the inaugural lecture of professor of clinical child and family studies Loes Keijsers and the PhD defence of Marscha Holleman who is doing her PhD on lung and prostate cancer. The defence will take place online. Keijsers’ inauguration will take place next Friday at four o’clock in the auditorium, and everyone is welcome to attend the ceremony.

In Keijsers’ own words, it was ‘one of the weirdest days of her life’: ‘This morning I did give the workshop on research methods that was to precede my oration. Due to the weather conditions and the problems with public transport, there were only twenty visitors instead of forty. In the course of the morning, I was told by the faculty that the oration could not go ahead. I was a bit disappointed because I had been working towards this for three and a half years and after all the lockdowns I was really looking forward to a physical ceremony. The meeting itself also requires a lot of practical preparation, such as the lecture and the catering. Ironically, my oration is about resilience and the storms that young people endure in adolescence.’

plaze-afgezet-erasmus-polakgebouw

Storm in 2018

Risk of Polak Building roof being dislodged because of storm

On Thursday morning, the Erasmus Plaza wasn't accessible for security reasons.