Austin Paradelas
Nov 1, 2024
(HAMMOND, La) Louisiana schools are not getting away from hurricanes anytime soon. So, why is it that every time a cat 3 comes barreling down our street we completely forget how to operate? This is an annual reality of living in Louisiana – especially Southeast Louisiana. We have been lucky for several years in a row and have skated by without any reputable damage from storms but now that we are seeing a small influx of inclement weather it’s time we went back over a big issue – school closures.
Universities like Southeastern (SELU), Louisiana State University (LSU), University of Louisiana at Lafayette (ULL), Tulane and Loyola repeatedly demonstrate inadequate preparedness for these storms. Their reactive approach to cancellations and lackluster assistance of students with returning to campus after the storms shows a lack of foresight that leaves students and their families scrambling for safety, security, and academic stability.
Hurricanes pose significant risks year after year to our state, we should be past the point of “waiting it out” or “making a school call day off.” Even a category one hurricane has the means to cause significant damage to the state under the right circumstances. The idea of calling off classes and telling students to reach for safety at the last minute is so abusively reactive that it strands students and faculty in areas they would rather not be.
For Hurricane Francine (September 2024) many students were left to ride out the storm with no power, lacking supplies and stressed-out parents from out of state. Why did this happen? Tulane’s administration waited until the afternoon on the eve of the storm to cancel classes instead of being more proactive. For a school that charges as much as they do, you would assume they would care about the student body a little bit.
Just as concerning is the handling of returning to campus after the hurricane has passed through. Universities tend to expect students to return to campus as soon as classes are back in session despite the difficulties they may be going through.
Students and faculty members are left without power, dealing with damaged roadways, and some go back out of state to avoid it altogether. Despite these valid issues the university rarely offers any consolation in the form of logistical support or relative empathy.
It’s time for these universities to adopt a more proactive approach to hurricane preparedness. Louisiana is no stranger to hurricanes, and it’s unacceptable for universities to act like each storm is an unpredictable surprise. It is a major disservice to both the students and the faculty that are made to enforce it without saying so.
A proactive solution to our hurricane dilemma should include the following:
Mandatory two-day notice of cancellation
This will force universities to provide a call on whether classes will be canceled no less than two days in advance to provide students with ample time to evacuate
Minimum of two days post-storm for classes to be reinstated to allow for societal recovery
This will allow students a minimum threshold to recover from what may have been an extremely traumatic event for some
Minimum one week make up period for assignments/ quizzes/ exams done post resumption of classes
This would grant students who would be excessively affected by the respective storm extra time if needed to catch up on coursework
This isn’t rocket surgery. We have been dealing with these storms as long as humans have settled in this region, it is time we started taking a proactive approach to handling them instead of wearing a surprised face every time one of these things peeks their head around Florida.