In a week often plagued by pre-finals gloom, University students received a windy Monday morning wake-up when severe weather barreled through Baton Rouge.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for East Baton Rouge Parish on Monday morning until 10 a.m. The University canceled classes for the rest of the day soon after.
Facility Services Assistant Director Tammy Millican said Facility Services crews are responding to a series of work orders placed by faculty, staff and students located throughout campus regarding leaks and flooding in buildings, as well as assessing the storm’s damage.
“The issue is that when rain comes that hard and that fast, you are going to have that type of issue, so that’s not something that’s unexpected, so we’re just responding to that and getting that water out of the building and protecting the contents of the building,” Millican said.
Besides a power outage at a University warehouse on River Road, Millican said she was not aware of any other campus power outages.
“We don’t have a complete picture yet of the damage from the storm, but that’s what we’re out there working on,” Millican said. “We’re responding to calls from our students, faculty and staff.”
During the storm, wind caused power lines to fall as debris cluttered roadways near campus. A tree hit the ground near the French House.
Kinesiology senior Robert Schneider said he was in the basement of Lockett Hall when the storm hit.
“Some guy comes into our room and he’s like ‘They think there might be a tornado outside. We’re about to send some people into this room.’ That’s when everybody started freaking out,” Schneider said.
Even though there was a “black wall of rain” outside the building, Schneider said he still felt safe sheltered in Lockett’s basement.
For students entering Lockett after the worst of the storm passed, it was useless to wipe their feet because doing so sent ripples of water into the stream flooding the hallway.
Facility Services crews worked to move equipment within Lockett Hall to higher ground before removing the water.
As the worst of the storm hit, LSU Tiger Trails confirmed buses remained at a standstill because of flooding. The University sent an emergency text shortly after, warning that roadways were flooded and not passable as wind speeds remained high.
Meanwhile, other buildings on campus continued to flood, including Dodson Hall and the Music and Dramatic Arts Building, where students were evacuated to the basement. In the Journalism Building, students huddled in the Holliday Forum.
“This is intense,” said mass communication freshman David Wroten. “No one knew it was coming.”
Students in Residential College Complex South Hall gathered in the hallways, away from the windows, around 10:20 a.m. but were allowed to return to their rooms shortly after.
LSU Dining shut down all dining operations except the The 5 Dining Hall and the 459 Commons, according to its Twitter account.