Campus Alert Archive
Tulane

A Stay-Put First Week: Tulane Rides Out Hurricane Isaac

LAhurricaneemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

As Hurricane Isaac approached Louisiana during Tulane University's first week of classes, the university enacted a 'stay-put' plan under which students chose whether to evacuate or shelter in residence halls. Isaac made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane) near New Orleans on the night of August 28-29, 2012 — seven years to the day after Hurricane Katrina — with sustained winds near 80 mph. Tulane made the first day of classes optional, then canceled classes for the rest of the week, releasing periodic updates by email and on its emergency website.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Tulane University
Private R1 · LA
~13,000 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 reconstruction371 chars
Tulane is closely monitoring Tropical Storm Isaac, which is expected to strengthen into a hurricane and approach the Louisiana coast. The university is implementing its stay-in-place plan. Classes on Monday are optional so that students who wish to leave the area may do so. Students remaining on campus should stock supplies and monitor tulane.edu/emergency for updates.

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

This advisory is a reconstruction: contemporaneous accounts confirm Tulane 'enacted a stay-put evacuation plan' and made the first day of classes optional, but the verbatim email text was not archived publicly.
Tulane's stay-put posture for a Category 1 storm contrasts sharply with the full evacuations it ordered for Katrina (2005) and Gustav (2008), reflecting a calibrated response to a weaker storm.
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstruction320 chars
Classes are canceled for the remainder of the week. Students sheltering on campus should remain indoors and away from windows, and may be asked to move to interior hallways during the height of the storm. Dining will provide limited service. Do not go outside during high winds. Continue to monitor tulane.edu/emergency.

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

Reconstructed update; reporting confirms students on campus 'were asked to sleep in their hallways, since sleeping near windows could be dangerous' and were given rationed food during the storm.
The instruction to move to interior hallways is the practical shelter-in-place core of a hurricane stay-put plan for a coastal residential campus.
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction208 chars
Hurricane Isaac has passed and the Uptown campus is safe. Students who evacuated may return to campus beginning today. Classes will resume Monday. Thank you for your patience and cooperation during the storm.

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

Reconstructed all-clear; reporting confirms 'Tulane students who evacuated were allowed to re-enter campus the Saturday after Isaac passed.'
This is a genuine all-clear because it lifts the stay-in-place restriction, reopens campus to returning students, and sets a class-resumption date.
Context

Background

Hurricane Isaac struck the New Orleans area as a Category 1 hurricane) overnight on August 28-29, 2012, coinciding almost exactly with the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the start of Tulane's fall semester. Rather than ordering the full evacuations it had used for Katrina in 2005 and Gustav in 2008, Tulane adopted a stay-put plan and made the first day of classes optional. Students who sheltered in residence halls faced 80-mph winds, were given rationed food, and were asked to sleep in interior hallways. Classes were canceled for the rest of the week, and students who left were allowed to return the following Saturday. The episode is a useful case study in graduated hurricane response: a major research university calibrating its messaging and operations to a moderate storm rather than reflexively evacuating.
Analysis

Key Findings

Tulane chose a stay-put plan for Isaac rather than the full evacuations it ordered for Katrina and Gustav, calibrating to a weaker Category 1 storm
On-campus shelter instructions centered on moving away from windows and into interior hallways during peak winds
Isaac's landfall coincided with both the Katrina anniversary and Tulane's first week of classes, heightening the stakes of clear messaging
Outcome
The Uptown campus came through without catastrophic damage. Students who evacuated were allowed back the following Saturday, and classes resumed the next week.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Hurricane Isaac Disrupts Non-local Students at Tulane University - HuffPost College
    huffpost.com
  2. Source
    Hurricane Isaac (2012) - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
  3. Source
    Effect of Hurricane Katrina on Tulane University - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
Tags
hurricanelouisianashelter-in-placestay-putweatheremergency-notification
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion