Campus Alert Archive
KSU

500-Year Flood Submerges KSU Dorms and Parking Decks: Creek Overflows Into Social Science Building

GAfloodingadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

The September 2009 Georgia floods, a 500-year rainfall event, inundated significant portions of Kennesaw State University's campus in Cobb County. The east parking deck flooded, several dormitories along Campus Loop Drive were inundated by an overflowing creek, and water rose to the bottom of the first-floor stair handrail in the Social Science building. Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue declared a state of emergency as at least 10 people died across the region.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Kennesaw State University
Public Masters · GA
~20,000 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 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 ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstruction604 chars
Kennesaw State University is experiencing flooding on portions of the campus due to the ongoing heavy rainfall across north Georgia. A creek near Campus Loop Drive has overflowed and is affecting dormitories and nearby buildings in that area. The East Parking Deck has flooded and is closed. Residents in affected dormitories should relocate immediately to higher floors or other university housing. The Social Science Building has water intrusion on the first floor and is closed until further notice. Do not attempt to drive through flooded parking areas or roadways. Monitor ksualerts.com for updates.

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

On-campus creek overflow was the specific mechanism: a tributary of a nearby creek inundated Campus Loop Drive dormitories and the Social Science building
East Parking Deck explicitly named and closed -- operational specificity about campus infrastructure impacts is a hallmark of effective flood messaging
Resident relocation to higher floors rather than off-campus evacuation: flood did not require full campus evacuation
Reconstructed from SERC Carleton and USGS documentation of the September 2009 KSU campus flooding
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstruction494 chars
Kennesaw State University campuses are assessing flood damage following yesterday's historic rainfall. The Social Science Building remains closed for damage assessment. Affected dormitory residents have been relocated. Campus Loop Drive is passable but use caution. Governor Perdue has declared a State of Emergency for 17 Georgia counties. Classes will resume on a normal schedule Tuesday pending continued assessment of affected facilities. Please check ksualerts.com before coming to campus.

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

Governor's emergency declaration for 17 counties cited -- KSU's local flooding is contextualized within a regional disaster
Dormitory resident relocation confirmed as complete before the update -- welfare communication precedent to operational status
Tuesday class resumption announced subject to assessment -- conditional all-clear rather than firm reopening
Reconstructed from secondary sources
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction493 chars
Kennesaw State University has resumed full campus operations. The Social Science Building has been assessed and will reopen on a limited basis while remediation work continues. Affected dormitory residents may return to their rooms; residents whose belongings were damaged should contact Residential Life for assistance. The East Parking Deck has been inspected and is open. Thank you for your patience during this unprecedented flood event. Clean-up efforts continue throughout north Georgia.

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

Limited Social Science reopening with ongoing remediation -- transparent about incomplete restoration at the point of reopening
Dormitory damage assistance offer embedded in the all-clear -- ensures affected residents know help is available
'Unprecedented flood event' language acknowledges the historical rarity of the September 2009 event
Reconstructed from secondary sources
Context

Background

The September 2009 Southeastern United States floods struck the Atlanta metro area and north Georgia from September 17-22, 2009, producing what the USGS called a 500-year rainfall event in some locations. More than 20,000 homes and businesses sustained major damage across 17 Georgia counties, and at least 10 people died, most in vehicle flood incidents. Kennesaw State University, then a public master's-level institution in Cobb County with roughly 20,000 students, suffered flooding to multiple campus facilities: the east parking deck was submerged, dormitories along Campus Loop Drive were inundated by a nearby creek overflowing its banks, and the Social Science building's first floor took significant water damage. Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue declared a state of emergency and requested a federal disaster declaration. The flooding at KSU illustrates an underrepresented risk profile in higher education: campus creek systems and low-lying parking infrastructure that amplify regional flood events into campus emergencies. USGS later documented the KSU campus flooding in an analysis of the historic Georgia flood event as an example of urban stream flooding in rapidly-developing suburban campuses.
Analysis

Key Findings

KSU's campus creek overflow inundated dormitories and the Social Science building -- a concrete example of how urban stream development amplifies regional floods into campus emergencies
East parking deck, Campus Loop Drive dormitories, and the Social Science building were the primary impacted facilities
September 2009 was a 500-year flood event for parts of north Georgia -- one of the region's most extreme rainfall events on record
USGS specifically documented the KSU campus flooding as an example of suburban campus creek-flooding vulnerability
Outcome
East parking deck flooded. Dormitories along Campus Loop Drive inundated. Social Science building first floor flooded. Campus partially closed during flood event. No campus casualties reported.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Source
    2009 Southeastern United States floods -- Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
  2. Source
    Historic Flooding in Northern Georgia, September 2009 -- SERC Carleton Case Study
    serc.carleton.edu
  3. Source
    Historic Flooding in Northern Georgia, September 16-22, 2009 -- USGS Fact Sheet
    pubs.usgs.gov
  4. Source
    Epic September 2009 Flooding -- Georgia -- USGS
    usgs.gov
  5. Source
    Epic Floods of 2009 -- NWS Atlanta
    weather.gov
Tags
floodinggeorgiakennesawcobb-county500-year-flooddormitory-floodingcreek-overflowadvisorypublic-masters
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion