Campus Alert Archive
Nicholls

Francine Rips the Roof Off Gouaux Hall and Leaves 400 Nicholls Students Without Power

LAhurricaneemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

Hurricane Francine made landfall as a Category 2 storm southeast of Morgan City, Louisiana on September 11, 2024 and passed directly over Nicholls State University in Thibodaux that afternoon, ripping the roof off Gouaux Hall and flooding nearly half the buildings on the small bayou campus. About 400 of 800 residential students remained on campus without power into Friday morning. The storm reopened wounds from Hurricane Ida three years earlier.

Alerts
3
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
Nicholls State University
Public Masters · LA
~6,500 studentsNicholls Alert
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 reconstructionLouisiana Illuminator reporting on Francine college closures386 chars
Nicholls Alert: Nicholls State University will be closed Wednesday, September 11 and Thursday, September 12 due to Hurricane Francine. All in-person classes are canceled. Residential students who can safely travel home are encouraged to do so. Those remaining on campus should shelter in place in their residence halls and follow Residence Life guidance. Do not travel during the storm.

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

Nicholls is located in Thibodaux, Louisiana — within about 30 miles of Francine's projected Morgan City landfall
The university opted not to evacuate residence halls, instead sheltering remaining students in place
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstructionLouisiana Illuminator brief on Francine's impact at Nicholls359 chars
Nicholls Alert: Hurricane Francine has passed over campus. Significant damage has been reported including roof damage to Gouaux Hall. All students sheltering in residence halls are accounted for and safe. Power is out across campus. Stay in your residence halls. Do not go outside until further notice. Do not approach downed power lines or damaged buildings.

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

The eye of Francine passed directly over the small Nicholls campus late Wednesday afternoon, September 11, 2024
Gouaux Hall houses the College of Arts and Sciences offices; the roof loss made the building unusable for weeks
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstructionFox 8 New Orleans reporting on Nicholls power outage410 chars
Nicholls Alert: Nicholls will conduct remote learning today, Friday, September 13. Campus offices will reopen Friday. Approximately 200 residential students remain on campus. Power has not yet been restored. The university is working with Entergy to restore service. Students who have evacuated should monitor email for return instructions. Food and water are available in the Bollinger Memorial Student Union.

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

Entergy is the primary electric utility serving Lafourche Parish
The Bollinger Memorial Student Union served as a daytime supply hub for students without power in their residence halls
About 200 residential students were still on campus by Friday morning — half the original 400 figure as some had departed by then
Context

Background

Hurricane Francine made landfall southeast of Morgan City, Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane on the afternoon of September 11, 2024 with sustained winds near 100 mph. The eye of the storm tracked directly over Nicholls State University in Thibodaux in the late afternoon, ripping the roof off Gouaux Hall and flooding nearly half the buildings on the small campus. About 400 residential students remained on campus when the storm hit, sheltering in residence halls. None were reported injured. Francine set back Nicholls' ongoing recovery from Hurricane Ida, which had passed nearly the same path in August 2021 and caused tens of millions of dollars in damage to the campus. Nicholls planned remote learning on Friday September 13 with offices reopening, but full normal operations did not resume until the following week as power was restored progressively through the campus. The case is a clear example of a small public university taking a direct hit from a hurricane eye, with residence-hall shelter-in-place rather than evacuation as the chosen protective action.
Analysis

Key Findings

Francine's eye passed directly over the Nicholls campus the afternoon of September 11, 2024
Roof damage to Gouaux Hall and flooding in nearly half of campus buildings were the most significant losses
About 400 residential students sheltered in place; all were accounted for after the storm passed
The storm set back ongoing Hurricane Ida (2021) recovery work at the same campus
Outcome
Campus closed Wednesday September 11 and Thursday September 12. Remote learning Friday September 13. About 400 students without power into Friday. Gouaux Hall roof destroyed; multiple buildings flooded. No campus deaths.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Tropical Storm Francine: Louisiana college and university closures - Louisiana Illuminator
    lailluminator.com
  2. News
    400 students at Nicholls State University without power after Hurricane Francine - Fox 8 Live
    fox8live.com
  3. News
    Hurricane Francine sets back Ida recovery for Nicholls State - Louisiana Illuminator
    lailluminator.com
  4. Official
    Hurricane Francine 2024 - National Weather Service Lake Charles
    weather.gov
Tags
hurricanefrancinelouisianathibodauxshelter-in-placeroof-damagepower-outageida-recoverybayou-campus
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion