NEW ORLEANS (BP) — New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) and Leavell College have returned to full operation after Hurricane Francine hit the campus on Wednesday evening, Sept. 11. Monday (Sept. 16) marked the first day classes and offices operated as normal following the storm.
“The Lord was incredibly gracious to us by protecting us through Hurricane Francine this past week,” said NOBTS President Jamie Dew.
“Our campus sustained minimal damage, and we were able to get it fully operational again within 24 hours. Once again, the Lord protected us and provided for us, and it was a good reminder of why our wonderful school has come to be known as the school of providence of prayer.”
Francine passed almost directly over the campus last Wednesday night after making landfall on the Louisiana coast near the Terrebonne Parish as a Category 2. In anticipation of the storm, all classes and offices were closed on Wednesday and Thursday.
The storm, which hit campus as a Category 1, caused minimal damage to campus and loss of power for a portion of residents.
An all clear was given on Thursday morning, and power began to be restored for some residents as soon as that afternoon. No injuries were sustained among individuals on campus.
As soon as the all clear was given, NOBTS’ facilities team began working on cleaning up and restoring campus.
Larry Lyon, senior vice president for business administration, spoke to the provision of the Lord and the hard work of campus staff.
“We are thankful for the Lord’s protection during this storm,” Lyon said. “We had no injuries sustained and very little damage to campus.
“I am especially grateful to the men and women of our operations team who prepared campus for the incoming storm and were back to work for cleanup first thing after the storm passed. While every storm is serious, the Lord graciously allowed NOBTS and Leavell College to manage Hurricane Francine as well as possible.”
Throughout Thursday, students and campus residents gathered in the Luter Student Center, which never lost power, to charge electronics, use the restroom, gather needed supplies and fellowship.
Residents began walking around campus throughout the day as conditions improved.
Campus offices were reopened on Friday, but all classes were canceled.
Dew said the many faithful Southern Baptists who prayed for NOBTS during the storm would be glad to see the godly community of people preparing for ministry service on campus.
“Southern Baptists will be proud to see all that God is doing on our campus,” Dew said.
“Our faculty, staff, and students approach their work with great humility and servant disposition. Our times together and our worship is sweet. Our community is rich and vibrant. It is truly a wonderful season in the life of our school and our people are flourishing in the work that God has called them to do.”
(EDITOR’S NOTE — Timothy Cockes is a writer in Nashville.)
