Dear Loyola community,
Current forecasts predict a tropical storm, or possibly a category 1 hurricane, hitting Louisiana somewhere west of New Orleans on Saturday morning. Here in the city, we face the probability of heavy rains for several days, all on the heels of a prolific thunderstorm today. (For those of you out of town, this morning’s storm dumped about eight inches of rain. Our campus suffered some flooding in the usual low places, and many in our community will have suffered damage to their cars and homes.)
Out of an abundance of caution, we will cancel classes and close campus Thursday and Friday. If this were occurring during the more crowded fall semester, we might try to stay open tomorrow, but I’m conscious of the fact that many of you are recovering from this morning and have work to do to get ready for the weather ahead. The city is also asking citizens to stay home to make it easier for them to prepare.
We ask that essential personnel continue to report to work, so that we can care for the students and guests in our residence halls and so that we can prepare the campus. The rest of our community is very grateful to you. We are communicating directly to students on campus.
Please check the emergency website for updates and for advice on how to prepare. This is a good time to make sure you have food, batteries and any medicine you might need for the next several days. There is a fair amount of uncertainty in this forecast, so please stay vigilant and watch the news.
We expect to resume normal operations on Monday.
Tania Tetlow
President