{
  "id": "2024-09-11-nicholls-state-university-hurricane-francine",
  "slug": "nicholls-state-university-hurricane-francine-2024-09-11",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Nicholls State University",
    "shortName": "Nicholls",
    "state": "LA",
    "type": "public-masters",
    "alertSystemName": "Nicholls Alert",
    "enrollment": 6500
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-09-11",
    "endDate": "2024-09-13",
    "type": "hurricane",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Hurricane, September 11, 2024",
    "summary": "Hurricane Francine made landfall as a Category 2 storm southeast of Morgan City, Louisiana on September 11, 2024 and passed directly over Nicholls State University in Thibodaux that afternoon, [ripping the roof off Gouaux Hall](https://lailluminator.com/2024/09/14/francine-nicholls/) and flooding nearly half the buildings on the small bayou campus. About [400 of 800 residential students remained on campus](https://www.fox8live.com/2024/09/12/400-students-nicholls-state-university-without-power-after-hurricane-francine/) without power into Friday morning. The storm reopened wounds from Hurricane Ida three years earlier.",
    "outcome": "Campus closed Wednesday September 11 and Thursday September 12. Remote learning Friday September 13. About 400 students without power into Friday. Gouaux Hall roof destroyed; multiple buildings flooded. No campus deaths.",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "The University will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday for Tropical Storm Francine. All classes scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday and all other campus events are canceled. Campus will reopen on Friday, with Friday classes offered remotely.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/NichollsState/status/1833238986586051031",
      "sourceDescription": "@NichollsState on X (official, verbatim Francine cascade)",
      "annotations": [
        "Exact text from official X status 1833238986586051031 (syndication full text)"
      ],
      "characterCount": 243,
      "timestamp": "2024-09-09T15:20:08-05:00"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "University officials will continue to monitor the storm's progress. Any students planning to leave campus to return home are advised to do so with enough time to be off the roads by Wednesday morning.\nUpdates at http://www.nicholls.edu and Nicholls social media channels.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/NichollsState/status/1833238989547180201",
      "sourceDescription": "@NichollsState on X (official, verbatim Francine cascade)",
      "annotations": [
        "Exact text from official X status 1833238989547180201 (syndication full text)"
      ],
      "characterCount": 271,
      "timestamp": "2024-09-09T15:20:09-05:00"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "update",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "Lafourche Parish officials have announced a curfew beginning at noon on Wed., Sept. 11 until sunrise on Thurs., Sept. 12. The effects of T.S. Francine will increase significantly by noon tomorrow. It is imperative that individuals be off the roadways and take shelter by then.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/NichollsState/status/1833643585906085939",
      "sourceDescription": "@NichollsState on X (official, verbatim Francine cascade)",
      "annotations": [
        "Exact text from official X status 1833643585906085939 (syndication full text)"
      ],
      "characterCount": 276,
      "timestamp": "2024-09-10T18:07:52-05:00"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 4,
      "type": "update",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "The university remains closed. All of campus and widespread portions of our region are without power. Please do not return to campus until you are instructed to do so. Authorized personnel will be assessing campus tomorrow morning for any damage sustained.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/NichollsState/status/1834068410172387723",
      "sourceDescription": "@NichollsState on X (official, verbatim Francine cascade)",
      "annotations": [
        "Exact text from official X status 1834068410172387723 (syndication full text)"
      ],
      "characterCount": 256,
      "timestamp": "2024-09-11T22:15:58-05:00"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 5,
      "type": "update",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "Good afternoon, Colonels.\n \nAll of campus and most of our service region remain without power. Nicholls will remain closed through the weekend and reopen on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. All classes and scheduled university events until then are canceled.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/NichollsState/status/1834294195240292707",
      "sourceDescription": "@NichollsState on X (official, verbatim Francine cascade)",
      "annotations": [
        "Exact text from official X status 1834294195240292707 (syndication full text)"
      ],
      "characterCount": 249,
      "timestamp": "2024-09-12T13:13:10-05:00"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 6,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "Our partners at Entergy have restored power to all of campus this afternoon. We are extremely grateful for their hard work in our region.\nAs was previously stated, on-campus classes will resume on Monday morning. All normal operations and scheduled activities will also commence.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/NichollsState/status/1835061172812587217",
      "sourceDescription": "@NichollsState on X (official, verbatim Francine cascade)",
      "annotations": [
        "Exact text from official X status 1835061172812587217 (syndication full text)"
      ],
      "characterCount": 279,
      "timestamp": "2024-09-14T16:00:52-05:00"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 7,
      "type": "initial",
      "channel": "email",
      "timestampApprox": "Tuesday, September 10, 2024, as Francine strengthened into a hurricane in the Gulf",
      "verbatimText": "With the impacts of Tropical Storm Francine expected to reach our area as early as Wednesday morning, Nicholls State University will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday. All classes scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday and all other campus events are canceled. Campus will reopen on Friday, with Friday classes offered remotely.\n\nUniversity officials will continue to monitor the storm’s progress and notify the campus community should there be any changes to the forecast. Any student residents planning to leave campus to return home are advised to do so with enough time to be off the roads by Wednesday morning.\n\nCampus residents will receive separate communication from the Office of Residential Living regarding details for any students who cannot leave campus.\n\nAll Nicholls departments are to refer to the Hurricane Emergency Plan and begin enacting internal Phase III storm preparations. University officials will perform a campus assessment after the storm has passed and advise if a change in the announced reopening is necessary.\n\nPlease remain weather-aware and exercise caution when traveling from campus. Follow www.nicholls.edu and Nicholls social media for updates. The campus community is also encouraged to download the Nicholls State University PD app on your smartphone for additional updates.\n\nIf storm conditions change, further messages will be sent.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.nicholls.edu/news/2024/09/09/university-to-close-ahead-of-tropical-storm-francine/",
      "sourceDescription": "Nicholls News: University to close ahead of Tropical Storm Francine",
      "annotations": [
        "Full official Nicholls Francine closure notice recovered from nicholls.edu.",
        "Nicholls is located in Thibodaux, Louisiana, within about 30 miles of Francine's projected Morgan City landfall",
        "The university opted not to evacuate residence halls, instead sheltering remaining students in place"
      ],
      "characterCount": 1374
    }
  ],
  "context": "Hurricane Francine made landfall southeast of Morgan City, Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane on the afternoon of September 11, 2024 with sustained winds near 100 mph. The eye of the storm tracked directly over [Nicholls State University in Thibodaux](https://lailluminator.com/2024/09/14/francine-nicholls/) in the late afternoon, ripping the roof off Gouaux Hall and flooding nearly half the buildings on the small campus. About [400 residential students remained on campus](https://www.fox8live.com/2024/09/12/400-students-nicholls-state-university-without-power-after-hurricane-francine/) when the storm hit, sheltering in residence halls. None were reported injured. Francine [set back Nicholls' ongoing recovery from Hurricane Ida](https://lailluminator.com/2024/09/14/francine-nicholls/), which had passed nearly the same path in August 2021 and caused tens of millions of dollars in damage to the campus. Nicholls planned remote learning on Friday September 13 with offices reopening, but full normal operations did not resume until the following week as power was restored progressively through the campus. The case is a clear example of a small public university taking a direct hit from a hurricane eye, with residence-hall shelter-in-place rather than evacuation as the chosen protective action.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "Francine's eye passed directly over the Nicholls campus the afternoon of September 11, 2024",
    "Roof damage to Gouaux Hall and flooding in nearly half of campus buildings were the most significant losses",
    "About 400 residential students sheltered in place; all were accounted for after the storm passed",
    "The storm set back ongoing Hurricane Ida (2021) recovery work at the same campus"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Nicholls News: University to close ahead of Tropical Storm Francine",
      "url": "https://www.nicholls.edu/news/2024/09/09/university-to-close-ahead-of-tropical-storm-francine/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Tropical Storm Francine: Louisiana college and university closures - Louisiana Illuminator",
      "url": "https://lailluminator.com/2024/09/10/francine-college/",
      "type": "local-media",
      "accessDate": "2026-05-14"
    },
    {
      "title": "400 students at Nicholls State University without power after Hurricane Francine - Fox 8 Live",
      "url": "https://www.fox8live.com/2024/09/12/400-students-nicholls-state-university-without-power-after-hurricane-francine/",
      "type": "local-media",
      "accessDate": "2026-05-14"
    },
    {
      "title": "Hurricane Francine sets back Ida recovery for Nicholls State - Louisiana Illuminator",
      "url": "https://lailluminator.com/2024/09/14/francine-nicholls/",
      "type": "local-media",
      "accessDate": "2026-05-14"
    },
    {
      "title": "Hurricane Francine 2024 - National Weather Service Lake Charles",
      "url": "https://www.weather.gov/lch/2024Francine",
      "type": "official-archive",
      "accessDate": "2026-05-14"
    },
    {
      "title": "@NichollsState Francine cascade (X)",
      "url": "https://x.com/NichollsState/status/1833238986586051031",
      "type": "official-social"
    },
    {
      "title": "@NichollsState Francine cascade (X)",
      "url": "https://x.com/NichollsState/status/1833238989547180201",
      "type": "official-social"
    },
    {
      "title": "@NichollsState Francine cascade (X)",
      "url": "https://x.com/NichollsState/status/1833643585906085939",
      "type": "official-social"
    },
    {
      "title": "@NichollsState Francine cascade (X)",
      "url": "https://x.com/NichollsState/status/1834068410172387723",
      "type": "official-social"
    },
    {
      "title": "@NichollsState Francine cascade (X)",
      "url": "https://x.com/NichollsState/status/1834294195240292707",
      "type": "official-social"
    },
    {
      "title": "@NichollsState Francine cascade (X)",
      "url": "https://x.com/NichollsState/status/1835061172812587217",
      "type": "official-social"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "hurricane",
    "francine",
    "louisiana",
    "thibodaux",
    "shelter-in-place",
    "roof-damage",
    "power-outage",
    "ida-recovery",
    "bayou-campus"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-14",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-18",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}