As Tropical Storm Karen brews in the Gulf, Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency in Louisiana on Thursday.
The state of emergency will last until Nov. 1, unless it is cancelled sooner.
In spite of Jindal’s announcement, no University activities are cancelled at this point. These and other weather alerts will be posted on the LSU homepage, which students should check regularly, said Emergency Operations Director D’ann Morris.
Morris said the EOC Core Committee is monitoring the storm and will be on standby as the storm develops over the next few days.
The National Hurricane Center projects Tropical Storm Karen, which developed over the Yucatan Channel and now has winds of 65 mph, will move to the southeast edge of Louisiana and neighboring states Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
A hurricane watch is currently posted from Grand Isle, La. to Indian Pass, Fla, the NHS announced. A tropical storm watch is in effect for areas west of Grand Isle, including metropolitan New Orleans, Lake Maurepas and Lake Pontchartrain.
For now, Morris said the EOC is following standard protocol.
If the tropical storm develops into a hurricane, the University’s PMAC could be used as a shelter for qualified, special needs individuals, Morris said.
The University’s Facility Services team also reviewed hurricane and tropical storm procedures on Thursday.
“We have a hurricane prep document that lists steps for each building, depending on how much time we have to prepare and what the storm’s intensity is,” said Tammy Millican, EOC team member and assistant director of communication and grants for Facility Services.
The meeting, Millican said, also addressed how to handle campus construction projects that could be damaged in the storm.
However, these preparations – including those regarding construction – are nothing new to University authorities and there are procedures in place, Millican said.