Campus Alert Archive
UNO

A Lakefront Campus Closes for the Week as Gustav Tests Post-Katrina Plans

LAhurricaneemergency notificationlow confidence

When Hurricane Gustav prompted a historic regional evacuation of New Orleans in late August 2008, the University of New Orleans — a public campus on the Lakefront that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 — closed for the entire week alongside the city's other universities. UNO, along with Tulane, Loyola, and Xavier, suspended operations and resumed classes Monday, September 8, 2008. The closure was an early test of the emergency notification and evacuation procedures the city's campuses had overhauled after Katrina.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
University of New Orleans
Public R2 · LA
~11,000 studentsUNO 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 ALERTWebsite
Approximate reconstruction322 chars
Due to Hurricane Gustav and the mandatory evacuation of the New Orleans area, the University of New Orleans is closing its campus until further notice. All classes and university activities are suspended. Students, faculty and staff should evacuate and monitor the UNO website and emergency line for reopening information.

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

Reconstructed: system-level status updates confirm UNO closed campus for the Gustav evacuation, but the verbatim UNO notice text is not preserved.
UNO sits on the Lakefront in New Orleans and had suffered major flooding during Hurricane Katrina three years earlier, raising the stakes of the evacuation decision.
As a public institution, UNO coordinated its closure with the broader University of Louisiana System and state evacuation orders.
ALL CLEARWebsite
Approximate reconstruction239 chars
The University of New Orleans will reopen and resume classes on Monday, September 8. The campus has been inspected and is ready for the return of students, faculty and staff. Thank you for your patience during the Hurricane Gustav closure.

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

Reconstructed: multiple sources confirm UNO resumed classes Monday, September 8, 2008, but the verbatim reopening notice is not preserved.
This is the genuine all-clear because it lifts the closure and sets the resumption date.
UNO reopened on the same Monday as Tulane, Loyola, and Xavier, reflecting coordinated regional recovery from Gustav.
Context

Background

Hurricane Gustav forced a historic evacuation of the New Orleans region in late August 2008, three years after Hurricane Katrina. The University of New Orleans, a public R2 institution on the Lakefront that had been severely flooded during Katrina in 2005, closed its campus for the entire week. UNO, along with Tulane, Loyola, and Xavier, suspended operations and resumed classes on Monday, September 8, 2008. For UNO the storm was a clear test of the public-university emergency notification and evacuation procedures rebuilt after Katrina, coordinated through the University of Louisiana System and state authorities. The campus reopened without reported casualties, a marked contrast to the catastrophic 2005 experience.
Analysis

Key Findings

UNO, a public Lakefront campus heavily damaged by Katrina in 2005, closed for the entire week for Hurricane Gustav in 2008
The closure was coordinated with the University of Louisiana System and statewide evacuation orders
UNO resumed classes Monday, September 8, 2008, the same day as Tulane, Loyola, and Xavier
The smooth reopening contrasted sharply with UNO's catastrophic 2005 Katrina flooding, reflecting matured post-Katrina emergency planning
Outcome
UNO closed its Lakefront campus for the week as the city evacuated, then resumed classes on Monday, September 8, 2008. No campus casualties were reported.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    ULS Hurricane Gustav Campus Status Update - University of Louisiana System
    ulsystem.edu
  2. Source
    Hurricane Gustav - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
  3. Source
    University of New Orleans - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
Tags
hurricanelouisianaevacuationgustavpost-katrinanew-orleanspublic-university
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion