TULANE TALK

August 27, 2012

Good Afternoon:

As Isaac approaches I thought I would share some information and thoughts with you. At a time like this it is normal to be anxious and concerned about what may confront us. However, I want you to know that we are well-prepared for Isaac and have ample experience in evaluating and handling such storms. Most importantly, I want to assure you that Isaac is not anticipated to be anything like Hurricane Katrina in strength and direction of approach. Likewise, New Orleansí flood protection system has been significantly strengthened in the seven years since Katrina. It is tempting for the media to make comparisons between the storms, but the facts do not support such an analysis. Isaac and Katrina are vastly different.

Since last Saturday, the universityís senior leadership team has met multiple times to make all the necessary preparations for the storm. Our decisions are based on information from several public and private weather services and from discussions with state and city officials as well as the other universities in the area. The senior leadership makes decisions based on the best interests of the entire community after thoroughly reviewing all the information at its disposal. We will continue to communicate these plans and decisions on a regular basis via http.tulane.edu, the Tulane Alert Line (1-877-862-8080 or 504-862-8080), email and text messages. We have also established a Call Center (504-247-1340) for any student who needs assistance or has any questions regarding storm preparations.

The entire senior team and I will be on our campuses throughout the storm. I will personally visit residence halls and other campus areas frequented by students to ensure their well-being. In addition to other means of communicating, I also plan to tweet my personal observations of events as they occur from @TulaneScott. I can assure you that we have ample staff, experience and necessary supplies to wait out Isaac. I appreciate your patience and understanding at a time like this. We will come through this storm just fine and then jump right back into a great new academic year.