Gustav closes LSU; set to reopen this week

Baton Rouge

-- Louisiana State University's (LSU) campus is set to reopen Sept. 5 following a Sept. 1 visit from Hurricane Gustav.

The school's Pete Maravich Assembly Center (PMAC) had once again been activated as a medical special needs shelter for evacuees during the storm and was the only part of the campus open.

Earlier Sept. 2, school officials announced that student, faculty and staff volunteers can return to campus, but only those designated as emergency personnel to assess and repair damage from the Category 2 hurricane. There was no word from the university on the condition of LSU's veterinary school.

The college will amend its academic calendar to make up for the closure, according to school officials.

Initial damage assessments listed water and roof damage to many campus buildings, tree limbs and debris clogging streets, and power outages throughout the area, according to the university Web site. University officials could not be reached by phone Sept. 2, and state officials say more than 1 million customers throughout the state are still without power.

LSU is able to supply a limited amount of power to the campus through a generator, but that is primarily being used in the PMAC and field house. PMAC served as a field hospital during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and helped more than 6,000 patients. LSU's AgCenter Parker Coliseum was the staging area for hundreds of animals during that hurricane.

The school officially shut down Aug. 31 as Gustav approached. Further south, a mandatory evacuation was ordered in New Orleans.