September 20, 2021
Today is the first day of campus operations following our extended closure that began
with the passing of Hurricane Ida three weeks ago. I intentionally chose not to reference
today’s reopening as resumption of “normal” campus operations because some parts of
our campus are not completely restored, and some members of our Southeastern family
continue to deal with recovery issues.
September 10, 2021
I am pleased to announce our reopening plans. I know everyone is anxious to return
to normal campus operations and activities, but Hurricane Ida significantly impacted
our campus as well as many of our faculty, staff and students.
September 9, 2021
I am very pleased to share that electric utility service was restored to the main
campus last night. With this development, all campus buildings now have power. Additionally,
utility repair crews continue to make significant progress restoring power in the
community.
September 8, 2021
As I write this update, one of our campus grounds crew members is busy mowing the
grass outside my office. Last week at this time you could scarcely walk five feet
on campus without having to step around a fallen tree or step over other storm debris.
The fact that someone is able to mow the grass is a real testament to how much has
been accomplished in terms of tree and debris removal.
September 7, 2021
I am happy to report that the University continues to make significant progress recovering
from Hurricane Ida.
A very important development is that power has recently been restored to north campus,
with restoration of power to the main campus anticipated soon. Likewise, utility
crews are making significant progress restoring service in the City of Hammond and
surrounding areas.
September 3, 2021
Events like major hurricanes affect people in extraordinary ways. These events both
challenge and change us in ways that we cannot fathom before the fact, but they also
bring us together and make us stronger. Make no mistake, our institution and our people
are resilient; through hard work, resolve, collaboration, patience and empathy we
will recover.
August 28, 2021
Hurricane Ida is forecast to come ashore Sunday evening as a category 4 storm. The
forecast also indicates the system will move very slowly over south Louisiana, likely
exacerbating the damage from associated wind and rain. It is anticipated there will
be widespread power outages across the areas impacted by the storm, and the outages
could continue for several days in some areas.
August 27, 2021
In the past, it has been recommended that each college and department purchase and
store a supply of black plastic (visqueen). This should be used to cover equipment
in order to protect it from water damage. Said equipment could include computers,
calculators, desks, books, permanent files, etc.
