{
  "id": "2021-08-28-louisiana-state-university-hurricane-ida",
  "slug": "louisiana-state-university-hurricane-ida-2021-08-28",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Louisiana State University",
    "shortName": "LSU",
    "state": "LA",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "LSUalert",
    "enrollment": 35000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2021-08-28",
    "endDate": "2021-09-08",
    "type": "hurricane",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Campus-wide preparedness message issued hours before Hurricane Ida's Category 4 landfall",
    "headlinePublic": "Campus-wide preparedness message issued hours before Hurricane Ida's Category 4 landfall",
    "summary": "[Louisiana State University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_State_University) President William F. Tate IV issued a [campus-wide message](https://www.lsu.edu/president/messages/2021/08-28-hurricane-ida.php) on Saturday, August 28, 2021, hours before [Hurricane Ida](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Ida) made a Category 4 landfall on the Louisiana coast. Tate had been LSU president for less than a month. Ida knocked out power to the entire New Orleans area and caused widespread damage in Baton Rouge, where LSU's main campus is located.",
    "outcome": "Campus closed Saturday August 28 through Tuesday September 7, 2021; classes resumed Wednesday September 8. Power restored by September 5. Significant tree and roof damage but no major structural loss. Students returning from evacuation faced fuel shortages.",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2021-08-28T16:00:00-05:00",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "As we are watching Hurricane Ida rapidly approach the Louisiana coastline, I know that many of you are concerned about the storm. I want to take a moment to assure you that our campus is as prepared as we can possibly be. Those of you who have been part of our community for a while know that because of our location, we are familiar with hurricanes and how to deal with them. But for those who are new to LSU, let me provide you with some information to help ease your minds a bit. We have an Emergency Operations Center at LSU that is composed of people who are trained to keep our operations running smoothly throughout the storm. We have a certified police force of over 70 officers who work to keep campus safe 24/7. We have a number of time-tested procedures in place to provide for the safety of our students living in our residence halls. And we are constantly in close contact with city, parish and state officials.\n\nBe prepared for power outages that are likely to last for an extended period of time. Please use good judgment and be safe during the storm. For those who live off campus, including employees, we ask that you please don't come to campus until we reopen, unless you are essential personnel instructed to do so by your supervisor. I know many of you will want to check on your buildings, but LSU Police and LSU Facility Services will be carefully assessing the campus after the hurricane passes. We will let you know about the status of campus and will update you as soon as possible on when we plan to reopen. Watch your LSU email for updates, follow any instructions provided via emergency text message, and keep an eye on LSU's official social media accounts. We will keep you updated as things progress. In the meantime, please stay safe and out of harm's way.\n\nWilliam F. Tate IV\nLSU President",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.lsu.edu/president/messages/2021/08-28-hurricane-ida.php",
      "sourceDescription": "LSU President: Message Regarding Hurricane Ida (official message archive)",
      "annotations": [
        "Recovered verbatim from President William F. Tate IV's official 'Message Regarding Hurricane Ida' on the LSU President's message archive (lsu.edu/president/messages/2021/08-28-hurricane-ida.php); the full multi-paragraph text was reproduced in search results and multiple distinctive interior phrases ('a certified police force of over 70 officers who work to keep campus safe 24/7'; 'Watch your LSU email for updates, follow any instructions provided via emergency text message') were independently corroborated against the same official page",
        "Sent the day before Ida's Category 4 landfall by a president who had been in the job less than a month (Tate started July 2021)",
        "Cites the certified police force (over 70 officers), a specific capability claim in the message",
        "Reverse-direction language ('please don't come to campus until we reopen') common when storm-shelter capacity is limited"
      ],
      "characterCount": 1822
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2021-08-30T08:00:00-05:00",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.lsu.edu/oep/alerts/index.php",
      "sourceDescription": "LSU Office of Emergency Preparedness",
      "annotations": []
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "update",
      "timestampApprox": "August 30, 2021, message from President Tate post-landfall",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Dear LSU Community,\n\nIn the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, I wanted to address our students, faculty and staff directly. We're asking you not to rush back to campus. I know many of you are eager to check on the status of things, but please wait for us to give the all-clear once we've had the opportunity to make sure campus is safe for your return. My sincere thoughts and prayers are with those who have been impacted by this storm. We'll have more information to share later about ways that you can seek assistance, but until then, please know that your LSU family is thinking of you.\n\nSincerely,\nWilliam F. Tate IV\nLSU President",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.lsu.edu/president/messages/2021/08-30-hurricane-ida.php",
      "sourceDescription": "LSU President: Hurricane Ida Message (Aug 30, official message archive)",
      "annotations": [
        "Recovered verbatim from President William F. Tate IV's official 'Hurricane Ida Message from President Tate' dated August 30, 2021 on the LSU President's message archive (lsu.edu/president/messages/2021/08-30-hurricane-ida.php); the full text was reproduced in search results and the distinctive 'wait for us to give the all-clear' / 'your LSU family is thinking of you' phrasing was independently corroborated by WAFB's August 30, 2021 report",
        "President-to-students personal address ('Dear LSU Community') rather than institutional voice, sent two days after Ida's Aug. 29, 2021 Category 4 landfall",
        "Asks evacuees explicitly to wait for the all-clear before returning, a post-storm reverse-evacuation pattern recurring across Louisiana hurricane responses"
      ],
      "characterCount": 629
    }
  ],
  "context": "LSU President [William F. Tate IV](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_F._Tate_IV) had been on the job less than a month when [Hurricane Ida](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Ida) made a Category 4 landfall on August 29, 2021, the 16th anniversary of [Hurricane Katrina](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina). The Saturday message Tate sent the day before landfall combined reassurance about institutional capability with a direct request to off-campus students. The choice to ask off-campus students NOT to come to campus was a function of dorm capacity, but it also reflected the reality that Baton Rouge was likely to lose power for days, which it did. The [follow-up message](https://www.lsu.edu/president/messages/2021/08-30-hurricane-ida.php) on August 30 told evacuated students not to rush back, a pattern that recurs across Louisiana hurricane responses, where post-storm fuel and utility shortages make rapid returns unsafe. The LSU football team [evacuated to Houston](https://www.si.com/college/lsu/football/lsu-focused-following-evacuation-hurricane-ida) on August 28, with the team bus taking 10 hours instead of the usual four. Classes resumed September 8.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "President Tate, in his first month in office, used a personal-letter format for LSU's hurricane communications",
    "Reverse-direction request ('do not come to campus') drives cap on shelter demand at LSU",
    "Post-storm fuel and power shortages produce a second wave of 'do not rush back' messages",
    "LSU's emergency police force (70+ officers) is named in the alert as a capability claim",
    "The LSU football team's evacuation to Houston took about 10 hours instead of the usual four"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Message Regarding Hurricane Ida (LSU President)",
      "url": "https://www.lsu.edu/president/messages/2021/08-28-hurricane-ida.php",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Hurricane Ida Message from President Tate (Aug 30)",
      "url": "https://www.lsu.edu/president/messages/2021/08-30-hurricane-ida.php",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "LSU president urges students not to rush back to campus following Hurricane Ida (WAFB)",
      "url": "https://www.wafb.com/2021/08/30/lsu-president-urges-students-not-rush-back-campus-following-hurricane-ida/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "LSU Football Focused After Evacuation to Houston (Sports Illustrated)",
      "url": "https://www.si.com/college/lsu/football/lsu-focused-following-evacuation-hurricane-ida",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "LSU Hurricane Preparedness (Office of Emergency Preparedness)",
      "url": "https://www.lsu.edu/oep/weather/hurricanecenter.php",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "LSU Office of Emergency Preparedness",
      "url": "https://www.lsu.edu/oep/alerts/index.php",
      "type": "official-archive"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "hurricane",
    "weather",
    "ida",
    "louisiana",
    "category-4",
    "presidential-message",
    "baton-rouge",
    "do-not-return",
    "public-r1",
    "tate"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-06-10",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}