Following the impact of Hurricane Harvey on parts of Texas and Louisiana, U.S. federal government emergency responders continue to respond to local communities and tribes across the impacted regions.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) priority is protecting the lives of those in areas affected by natural disasters. As such, FEMA urges those in areas affected by Hurricane Harvey, including F and M international students and their accompanying dependents (if any), to follow the instructions of state, local and tribal officials. This includes any instructions to shelter in place or evacuate. Evacuees should not return to evacuated areas until they are told by local officials that it is safe to do so.

F and M international students in areas affected by the hurricane must remain in contact with their designated school official and continue to take all necessary actions to maintain their student status, to the extent possible under the circumstances.

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) continues to monitor the situation and will provide SEVP-certified schools in the impacted regions with information about what actions they must take in the near future.

For more information, visit the Campus Resilience at SEVP-Certified Schools and Maintain F and M Status in Emergency Events resource pages on Study in the States.