{
  "id": "2024-09-26-savannah-state-university-hurricane-helene",
  "slug": "savannah-state-university-hurricane-helene-2024-09-26",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Savannah State University",
    "shortName": "SSU",
    "state": "GA",
    "type": "hbcu",
    "alertSystemName": "SSU Emergency Alert (Everbridge)",
    "enrollment": 4400
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-09-26",
    "endDate": "2024-09-29",
    "type": "hurricane",
    "cleryCategory": "advisory",
    "headline": "Hurricane, September 26, 2024",
    "summary": "On the evening of September 26, 2024, [Hurricane Helene swept through Savannah](https://www.savannahtribune.com/articles/lights-out-ssu-students-discuss-their-experience-during-hurricane-helenes-three-day-power-outage/) bringing powerful winds and heavy rain that flooded parts of the Savannah State University campus and triggered tornado sirens, causing the entire campus to lose power by Friday morning, September 27. [Students and parents criticized the administration](https://www.wsav.com/news/local-news/students-parents-concerned-about-savannah-states-response-to-helene-power-outages/) for inadequate communication during the three-day blackout, which lasted until Sunday evening, September 29, when Georgia Power partially restored electricity to the campus.",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "outcome": "Campus experienced widespread power outage from September 27 through September 29, 2024. Parts of campus flooded, large tree brought down in front of the Social Science building. Classes shifted to online instruction. Students unable to return home due to hurricane impacts on their hometowns were housed in residence halls without power. Student and parent complaints about inadequate communication were publicly reported. Power began restoring Sunday evening September 29.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Evening of September 26, 2024 EDT, as Helene approached",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Wednesday, Sept. 25, 10:24 p.m.\n\nThe Savannah State University (SSU) administrators are closely monitoring Tropical Storm Helene and severe weather alerts to assess the potential impact on the Savannah area. Therefore, all classes will be shifted online for Thursday, September 26, 2024, beginning at 12:30 p.m. in an asynchronous style learning environment. Tomorrow, we will provide updates regarding the Friday, September 27th schedule.\n\nSSU professors will provide details and instructions for all students through email and Brightspace/D2L accounts.\n\nEssential personnel, including staff from the Department of Public Safety and Campus Police, Facilities, Information Technology, as well as select Student Affairs team members, are expected to report to work in person.\n\nAll other employees should plan to report to work in person and shift to working remotely at 12:30 p.m.\n\nAdditionally, please follow us on social media for updates. We will keep you updated through campus email and postings to the SSU Social Media sites if there are any further modifications to classes and/or University operations. Thank you for your continued support.\n\nInterim President Cynthia Robinson Alexander",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceDescription": "SSU Interim President Helene update (Sept 25, 10:24 p.m.)",
      "annotations": [
        "Full official presidential campus email from SSU News Helene updates page",
        "Replaces prior unverifiable push-notification reconstruction; recovered text is the official email channel message"
      ],
      "characterCount": 1193,
      "sourceUrl": "https://savannahstateuniversitynews.blogspot.com/2024/10/hurricane-updates-to-campus-from.html"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestampApprox": "Morning of September 27, 2024 EDT",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "We want to keep you informed as we continue to closely monitor Tropical Storm Helene and its impact on the Savannah area. The safety and security of our students, faculty, and staff are our utmost priority.\n\nAs a precaution, Savannah State University will continue classes and university operations remotely on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. This will ensure continuity of learning and service to our students without compromising safety.\n\nThe storm is expected to subside Friday afternoon and all weekend events are expected to be held as planned.\n\nProfessors will communicate any necessary updates and instructions to all students through email and Brightspace/D2L accounts.\n\nEssential personnel, including staff from the Department of Public Safety and Campus Police, Facilities, Information Technology, and key Student Affairs team members, are expected to report to work in person.\n\nWe will provide ongoing updates through campus email and our SSU Social Media sites regarding any further changes to classes or University operations. Thank you for your understanding and continued support during this time.\n\nInterim President Cynthia Robinson Alexander",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceDescription": "SSU Interim President Helene update (remote Friday Sept 27)",
      "annotations": [
        "Full official presidential campus email from SSU News Helene updates page",
        "Replaces prior unverifiable push-notification reconstruction; recovered text is the official email channel message"
      ],
      "characterCount": 1150,
      "sourceUrl": "https://savannahstateuniversitynews.blogspot.com/2024/10/hurricane-updates-to-campus-from.html"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "update",
      "timestampApprox": "Sunday evening September 29, 2024 EDT",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Sunday, Sept. 29, 5:10 p.m.\n\nGreetings Campus Community!\n\nOn behalf of the entire Savannah State University family, I want to thank our students for their incredible patience, community spirit and heart shown to one another and our staff. We have worked together to provide the highest level of comfort, care, food service and support during this unprecedented storm and recovery period. Our number one priority has been and continues to be to ensure safety for everyone within the confines of limited power.\n\nAt this time the campus and the surrounding areas are still without power. Despite these circumstances our staff and Aladdin food service teams continue to operate in the Student Union on an emergency generator. Students are provided meals throughout the day and into the evening hours as well as access to charging stations to support electronic devices. Internet access and charging capabilities are also available in the Hubbert D building on campus\n\nThe Savannah State leadership team, staff and faculty are grateful for the many calls of support, encouragement and prayers that we continue to receive. Our amazing staff and faculty have served the campus community with grace and true “Tiger Spirit” even as they are trying to manage without power and resources at their homes.\n\nWe have approximately 1,320 students on campus. We seek your prayers for our students and staff who have not been able to reach their loved ones in other highly impacted storm areas such as Augusta and Valdosta. The Student Affairs team will be available in the Student Union today, Sunday, September 29th from 3:00 – 8:00 pm., with information on how students with families in affected areas can access updates. Likewise, we extend heartfelt concern to the many other USG institutions and students who are also managing the aftermath of this storm.\n\nI am in constant contact with Georgia Power as they work to restore power on campus in the immediate surrounding community. In addition, the Water Utility Management issued boil water advisories for several counties listed here https://www.wtoc.com/2024/09/29/water-utility-management-issues-boil-water-advisories-several-coastal-empire-counties/ .\n\nAll classes are cancelled for Monday, September 30th and Tuesday, October 1st. We are cautiously optimistic that SSU campus will have power soon. Therefore, at the earliest we anticipate that classes and campus operation will resume on Wednesday, October 2nd.\n\nMore information will be forthcoming as power is restored. Additionally, academic affairs will provide updates regarding the rescheduling of mid-term exams, grades and the withdrawal deadline. Should you have any additional questions regarding operations during this period please refer to SSU website and social media channels.\n\nWe have fared incredibly well with no personal injuries, damage to facilities, or flooding. Thank you for your support, commitment and care for our entire SSU community.\n\nYours with Tiger resilience,\n\nInterim President Cynthia Robinson Alexander, J.D.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceDescription": "SSU Interim President Helene update (Sept 29, 5:10 p.m. power/classes)",
      "annotations": [
        "Full official presidential campus email from SSU News Helene updates page",
        "Replaces prior unverifiable push-notification reconstruction; recovered text is the official email channel message"
      ],
      "characterCount": 3037,
      "sourceUrl": "https://savannahstateuniversitynews.blogspot.com/2024/10/hurricane-updates-to-campus-from.html"
    }
  ],
  "context": "Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane on September 26, 2024, and moved rapidly northward through the Southeast before its remnants devastated parts of Appalachia. In Savannah, the storm brought powerful winds, heavy rain, flooding, and tornado activity. [Savannah State University students](https://www.tigersroar.com/news/article_6d562926-81bb-11ef-a663-37dcba021cfe.html) woke September 26 to flooding on parts of campus, and that evening intense winds and heavy rain with tornado sirens prompted campus-wide shelter-in-place instructions. By Friday morning, September 27, the entire campus had lost electricity. A large tree snapped and fell in front of the Social Science building, and debris covered much of the campus. The power outage lasted approximately three days -- power began partially restoring Sunday evening, September 29, around 7 PM EDT. During this period, [students and parents expressed frustration with the administration's communication](https://www.wsav.com/news/local-news/students-parents-concerned-about-savannah-states-response-to-helene-power-outages/), particularly over limited information about food availability, cooling, and housing for the many students who could not return home because Hurricane Helene had also impacted their hometowns. The university shifted all classes online and made social media posts about food service and charging station availability. SSU's Everbridge-based emergency alert system used by the university coordinates with the Chatham Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) for hurricane notifications, but the multi-day communication gap during the blackout prompted public accountability questions about the institution's emergency communication protocols.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "A three-day campus-wide power outage following Helene affected all buildings and residence halls, with students left without electricity from September 27 through late September 29",
    "Students could not evacuate home because Helene had damaged or closed roads to many students' hometowns, trapping them on a powerless campus",
    "Public criticism of the administration's communication during the blackout was widely covered by student and regional media, highlighting a gap between emergency alert protocols and sustained crisis communication",
    "Tornado warnings activated sirens on and near campus during Helene's landfall evening, representing a multi-hazard event combining hurricane, flooding, and tornado threats"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Lights Out: SSU Students Discuss Their Experience During Hurricane Helene's Three-Day Power Outage (Savannah Tribune)",
      "url": "https://www.savannahtribune.com/articles/lights-out-ssu-students-discuss-their-experience-during-hurricane-helenes-three-day-power-outage/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Students, parents concerned about Savannah State's response to Helene power outages (WSAV)",
      "url": "https://www.wsav.com/news/local-news/students-parents-concerned-about-savannah-states-response-to-helene-power-outages/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Savannah State Students Left in the Dark (Tiger's Roar)",
      "url": "https://www.tigersroar.com/news/article_6d562926-81bb-11ef-a663-37dcba021cfe.html",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "Hurricane Updates to Campus from Interim President Alexander (SSU News)",
      "url": "https://savannahstateuniversitynews.blogspot.com/2024/10/hurricane-updates-to-campus-from.html",
      "type": "official-archive"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "hurricane",
    "hbcu",
    "georgia",
    "savannah",
    "power-outage",
    "helene",
    "communication-failure",
    "tornado-warning"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-31",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-17",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}