While the aftermath from Hurricane Isaac in Hammond was mild, several individual students were left worse for wear.
On Monday, Aug. 27, the campus closed at 3:30 p.m. and students were told to evacuate if possible.  During the evacuation period, the hurricane swept through Hammond cutting power, knocking down trees and leaving water damage.
“There were very few serious damages,” said Mayor of Hammond Mayson Foster. “We were very, very fortunate on this storm.”
According to Foster, the biggest problem Hammond had was from rain saturation,  causing trees to fall and  knock out power lines. The majority of the water hit the Magazine Street area as well as the Whitmar and Woodbridge areas north of the campus.
“We gave out 4,400 sand bags,” said Foster. “We made sure all of our drains were clear and all of the city’s properties or buildings were secure.”
Despite the loss of power from fallen trees, Hammond regained 100 percent power by Tuesday, Sept. 3.
While Hammond officials worked on keeping the city safe and secure, the University Police Department (UPD) had problems of its own to focus on. The UPD operated 24 hours a day with 27 officers working double patrol shifts. The campus was left with the same types of damage as the rest of the city. Carmen Bray, interim director of UPD, felt that his officers were as prepared as they could have been.
“We were fine. We were able to patrol while sustaining double duty, feeding all the officers and they were able to sleep,” said Bray. “We were on 24 hour stay with double the numbers. We didn’t leave. We slept and showered on site.”
Despite preparations, the hurricane left several students with something to complain about, including water, wind and even vandalism.
“When I returned to campus, my air conditioning was broken, along with three other rooms in the Sigma Sigma Sigma house,” said Megan Price, a junior biology major. “I called and reported my problem to University Housing and they promptly fixed my air at 8 o’clock Tuesday morning. I feel like the university is prepared to make repairs after the storm; however, I don’t feel like they were prepared for the vandalism/break-ins in Greek Village, which could have been prevented if the University Police were patrolling the area.”
Many students’ dorms or apartments suffered from water damage, ranging from mild to severe. Some students have had to be relocated while maintenance work is being completed. Louise Johnson, a senior art education major, was disappointed after seeing the severe water damage in her roommate’s apartment on North Campus.
“When I resided in that room last year, my closet ceiling collapsed for Tropical Storm Lee,” said Johnson. “I cannot even imagine what my roommate is going through, due to the fact that it happened to the majority of her room. I am highly disappointed with housing and maintenance because I was told last semester that the problem was fixed.”
Despite the damages caused by the water and wind, residential halls suffered very little.
“The Residential Community was fortunate in that no halls sustained any major damage,” said Robin Parker Rodrigue, director of marketing and strategic initiatives for auxiliary services. “The large amount of strong blowing rain did result in water getting into some rooms where maintenance work is being completed.”
Most students agree that the hurricane could have been much worse in comparison to previous hurricanes.
“I live in Livingston Hall, and I got mold damage by my front door,” said Allison Doan, a junior nursing major. “I don’t see much damage around campus though. The impact of Hurricane Isaac is not as big as it could be.”
Several departments on campus are still picking up the pieces from the hurricane.
“We’re compiling all the information,” said Bray. “It was just a lot of damage. Depending on what the damages are, the federal government will pay for that.”
Overall University Housing and UPD believe that they were as prepared as possible for Hurricane Isaac.
“The entire process went extremely smoothly, and we would implement the same process should we find ourselves in another similar situation,” said Rodrigue.
Instead of focusing on the damages left, Mayor Foster points out the positives, relating to the importance of the public safety.
 “I know of no injuries sustained by anyone from the storm, which is indicative that we are ready,” said Foster. “We thank everyone for their patience during the storm. We did what we could to protect life and property, and we succeeded.”
For campus residents who wish to report damages, call University Housing at 985-549-5118.