The University of Louisiana at Lafayette closed campus on August 26-27, 2020 as Hurricane Laura approached as a Category 4 storm. Campus residents were directed to shelter in place in residence halls built to withstand Category 3 conditions. Police and emergency staff remained on campus throughout the storm, and meals were delivered to sheltering students.
Alerts
4
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Public R1 · LA
~16,000 studentsEmergency Notification System (ENS)
Confirmed Timeline
Alert Sequence
4 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 reconstruction·379 chars
UL Lafayette Emergency Notification: Due to Hurricane Laura, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette will be closed on Wednesday, August 26 and Thursday, August 27. All classes are cancelled. Campus residents are directed to shelter in place in their residence halls. Police and emergency staff will remain on campus. Monitor your university email and louisiana.edu for updates.
This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.
The closure announcement came before the storm arrived, giving students and employees advance notice to prepare
Campus residents were specifically told to shelter in place rather than evacuate, based on the structural rating of residence halls
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstruction·328 chars
UL Lafayette UPDATE: Hurricane Laura is approaching as a Category 4 hurricane. Campus residents must continue to shelter in place. Meals will be delivered to residence halls for lunch and dinner today. Do not go outside. University police and emergency staff are on campus. Stay away from windows and monitor weather conditions.
This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.
Meal delivery to residence halls during the storm reflects the logistical challenge of feeding sheltering students when dining facilities cannot operate normally
Hurricane Laura made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana around 1:00 AM CDT on August 27 with 150 mph winds, making it the strongest hurricane to hit Louisiana since 1856
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstruction·313 chars
UL Lafayette UPDATE: Hurricane Laura has passed through the region. The campus remains closed today, August 27. Damage assessment is underway. A tree has fallen on a building on Fraternity Row. Campus residents should remain in their buildings until further notice. Breakfast will be delivered to residence halls.
This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.
The fallen tree that damaged the Theta Xi fraternity house was one of the most visible signs of storm damage on campus
Lafayette, located about 100 miles east of where Laura made landfall, experienced significant wind and rain but avoided the worst of the storm surge
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction·286 chars
UL Lafayette UPDATE: Classes will resume in a remote format today, Friday, August 28. On-campus operations will resume on a modified schedule. Campus residents may resume normal movement. Thank you for your patience during this emergency. Contact Student Affairs if you need assistance.
This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.
The rapid return to remote classes on August 28 was facilitated by the fact that many classes were already operating in a hybrid format due to COVID-19 protocols in fall 2020
Context
Background
Hurricane Laura made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana around 1:00 AM CDT on August 27, 2020 as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph, making it the strongest hurricane to hit Louisiana since the Last Island Hurricane of 1856. Lafayette, home to UL Lafayette, is located approximately 100 miles east of the landfall point and experienced significant winds and rain. The university's Emergency Notification System communicated closures via email, phone, and text message. KATC reported that the campus closed August 26-27 with police and emergency staff remaining on campus throughout. A fallen tree caused extensive damage to the Theta Xi fraternity house on Fraternity Row, though no injuries were reported. The storm's impact on the academic calendar was compounded by the fact that fall 2020 classes were already operating under modified COVID-19 schedules.
Analysis
Key Findings
01UL Lafayette's decision to shelter campus residents in place rather than evacuate relied on residence halls being built to withstand Category 3 conditions, though Laura exceeded that rating at landfall
02Meal delivery to sheltering students during a Category 4 hurricane illustrates the logistical demands of the shelter-in-place approach
03The overlap of Hurricane Laura with the COVID-19 pandemic created a dual-emergency scenario that affected campus operations and class delivery
Outcome
A fallen tree caused extensive damage to the Theta Xi fraternity house on Fraternity Row. No injuries reported among campus residents. Campus closed August 26-27 with classes resuming remotely on August 28.