Tuesday classes canceled as Hurricane Ida approaches coast

Tuesday+classes+canceled+as+Hurricane+Ida+approaches+coast

Brendan Heffernan

Classes for Tuesday have been canceled in preparation for Hurricane Ida, according to a campus-wide email from President Tania Tetlow.

Hurricane Ida is expected to make landfall on the Louisiana coast as a Category 4 Hurricane and the storm is expected to bring as much as 20 inches of rain to parts of southeast Louisiana, according to Nola.com. The storm will hit far enough west of New Orleans that the city will experience tropical storm conditions and wind gusts in the range of a Category 1 Hurricane, according to Tetlow’s email.

“I am holding you all in my heart this weekend as we weather this storm together, praying for your comfort, ease, and safety,” Tetlow said.

The announcement comes after classes were canceled for Friday afternoon and Monday in order to give students a chance to evacuate. Students and residents who evacuated Friday evening and Saturday morning navigated heavy traffic on Interstate 10, Interstate 12, and Interstate 55 as thousands fled the path of the storm.

The Orleans Room and the Market will remain open all day today and the Orleans Room will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Sunday, according to Tetlow. Campus will be shut down on Monday and Tuesday outside of essential services, according to Tetlow.

Loyola is also requiring on-campus students to update their evacuation status.

“It’s very important that we know who has left so we won’t worry that you’re missing,” Tetlow said.