Campus Alert Archive
MSU

Ida's Rain Came Through the Roofs on the First Day of In-Person Classes

NJfloodingemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

Tropical Storm Ida slammed Montclair State University on September 1, 2021 — the first day of in-person classes — with thunderstorms, flash flooding, and tornado warnings. Rain poured through the roofs and open windows of several buildings, with photos showing flooding inside the Machuga Heights residence complex. The university's alert system announced that the campus would close on September 2 to clean up the aftermath. Ida's remnants killed at least 30 people across New Jersey.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Montclair State University
Public R2 · NJ
~21,000 studentsMontclair State Alert
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 reconstruction245 chars
Montclair State Alert: A Tornado Warning is in effect for the campus area until further notice. Seek shelter immediately in an interior room on the lowest floor, away from windows. A Flash Flood Warning is also in effect. Avoid flooded roadways.

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

Reconstructed: the web environment blocks Montclair's alert archive, so this paraphrases the documented tornado-warning and flash-flood conditions rather than quoting a confirmed message.
Students were welcomed back on the first day of in-person classes with thunderstorms, flooding, and tornado warnings from Tropical Storm Ida.
The combined tornado-and-flood warning reflects a single storm system triggering two distinct hazards simultaneously over campus.
FOLLOW-UPEmail
Approximate reconstruction300 chars
Montclair State Alert: Due to severe flooding and storm damage from Tropical Storm Ida, the University will be CLOSED on Thursday, September 2. All classes and activities are canceled. Only essential personnel should report. Facilities crews are working to address water damage in affected buildings.

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

Reconstructed closure notice: The Montclarion reported the campus-wide alert system announced the campus would close September 2, 2021, to clear the storm's aftermath.
Rain entered through roofs and open windows, with flooding documented inside the Machuga Heights residence complex, which the closure was meant to address.
Context

Background

Montclair State University, New Jersey's second-largest university, sits in Essex County where Tropical Storm Ida's remnants produced catastrophic flash flooding on September 1, 2021. The storm arrived on the first day of in-person classes, greeting returning students with thunderstorms, flooding, and tornado warnings. According to The Montclarion, rain poured in through roofs and open windows, and photos showed flooding inside the Machuga Heights residence complex; the campus-wide alert system announced the campus would close September 2 to clean up. The broader storm was deadly in New Jersey, with tornadoes and flash flooding prompting a statewide emergency and dozens of deaths statewide, including two students from nearby Seton Hall and Montclair State who drowned off campus. This case sits alongside the Temple Ambler tornado and Kean and Rutgers closures as part of a single multi-campus Ida disaster, and it illustrates the challenge of issuing a flood-and-tornado emergency notification on a residential campus full of first-week students unfamiliar with their buildings.
Analysis

Key Findings

Ida struck on Montclair State's first day of in-person classes, when many returning students were least familiar with campus shelter locations
A single storm produced simultaneous tornado and flash-flood warnings, requiring an alert that addressed two different protective actions at once
Water intrusion through roofs and windows, not rising surface flood, drove the campus closure — a reminder that building envelope failures are a flood hazard
Montclair State was one of several New Jersey campuses (with Rutgers and Kean) forced to alter operations by the same Ida system
Outcome
No campus casualties reported. The campus closed September 2, 2021, for cleanup after water intrusion damaged residence halls and academic buildings.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Tropical Storm Ida Reaches Montclair State - The Montclarion
    themontclarion.org
  2. Student Paper
    Tropical Storm Ida Shuts Down the First Day of In-Person Classes At Montclair State - The Montclarion
    themontclarion.org
  3. News
    Flash Flooding Traps Drivers, Tornadoes Devastate New Jersey As Ida Wreaks Havoc - Patch
    patch.com
  4. News
    Hurricane Ida continues to scramble campus plans - Higher Ed Dive
    highereddive.com
Tags
floodinghurricane-idatornado-warningemergency-notificationnew-jerseyweathercampus-closure
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion