Campus Alert Archive
IU

Downed Power Lines Close 13th Street Just North of Campus

INpower outageadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the morning of September 27, 2024, downed power lines along 13th Street just north of the Indiana University Bloomington campus prompted two IU Notify alerts and a street closure. About 303 customers southwest of campus lost power, and 13th Street reopened around 2:20 p.m. EDT after lines from Walnut Grove to Woodlawn Avenue were cleared.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Indiana University Bloomington
Public R1 · IN
~47,000 studentsIU Notify
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction108 chars
IU Notify Bloomington: Power lines are down in the area of 13th Street. Avoid the area until further notice.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from the Indiana Daily Student, which reported IU issued an IU Notify Bloomington alert at 9:48 a.m. EDT saying power lines were down and people should avoid the area; the exact wording was not recoverable.
The downed lines ran along 13th Street from Walnut Grove to Woodlawn Avenue, just north of campus.
UPDATESMS+22 min
Approximate reconstruction117 chars
IU Notify Bloomington: 13th Street is now closed to traffic due to downed power lines. Please use an alternate route.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from the Indiana Daily Student's report that a second IU Notify Bloomington alert around 10:10 a.m. EDT said 13th Street had closed to traffic; the verbatim wording could not be retrieved.
Labeled an update, not an all-clear, because the street remained closed and roughly 303 customers were still without power.
Context

Background

On the morning of September 27, 2024, downed power lines along 13th Street north of the Indiana University Bloomington campus prompted IU to issue two IU Notify alerts: one at 9:48 a.m. EDT telling people to avoid the area, and a second around 10:10 a.m. EDT saying the street had closed to traffic. According to the Indiana Daily Student, about 303 customers southwest of campus lost power, with Duke Energy estimating restoration by 5:15 p.m. The street reopened to normal traffic around 2:20 p.m. EDT after lines from Walnut Grove to Woodlawn Avenue were cleared. The case shows how a localized infrastructure failure on a campus edge generates a short cascade of advisory-level notifications focused on routing people away from a hazard rather than sheltering them.
Analysis

Key Findings

Downed power lines on 13th Street prompted two IU Notify alerts on the morning of September 27, 2024
About 303 customers southwest of campus lost power; 13th Street reopened around 2:20 p.m. EDT
The alerts focused on hazard avoidance and routing rather than sheltering
Both alert texts are honest reconstructions; the official IU Notify wording could not be retrieved, so neither is marked verbatim
Outcome
13th Street reopened around 2:20 p.m. EDT; roughly 303 customers lost power. No injuries reported.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    UPDATED: 13th street reopens following downed powerlines, 98 customers still without power Friday - Indiana Daily Student
    idsnews.com
  2. Student Paper
    UPDATED: 240 customers regain power just south of campus - Indiana Daily Student
    idsnews.com
Tags
power-outageindianainfrastructuredowned-linesadvisory
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion