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Southeastern basketball arena, court flooded

8 years 2 weeks 3 days ago Friday, March 11 2016 Mar 11, 2016 March 11, 2016 8:28 PM March 11, 2016 in News
Source: WBRZ

HAMMOND - Water filled the floor of the Southeastern Louisiana University Center Friday.

A picture circulating on social media was confirmed to be accurate by a WBRZ producer. The picture showed water surrounding the wooden basketball court of the iconic indoor athletic arena north of downtown Hammond on the campus of SLU.

The university posted pictures of flooding around campus on its Facebook page.

Please continue to stay off of the roads. Now is not the time to go sightseeing.

Posted by Southeastern University Police Department on Friday, March 11, 2016

The University Center is on West University, which becomes Wardline Road west of campus at I-55. A few blocks east of campus, Whitmar Drive was flooded and it was one location where people had to be rescued from their homes.

Overnight, some 200 people were rescued from their homes in the Hammond area. There are shelters opened in Tangipahoa Parish Friday.

Hammond and surrounding areas received nearly 15-inches of rain.

Southeastern Louisiana University released a statement Friday afternoon saying its campus has sustained only “minimal damage” due to the heavy rain that passed the area Thursday and Friday.

University officials say that overall the campus appears to be “in good shape with no damage or significant standing water that could threaten buildings.”

The one exception university officials say is the University Center on University Avenue and North campus where standing water is typical after rain, officials say.

According to officials, rainwater getting into the sewage system causes it to backp into the University Center and seems to be related to city drainage issues. City crews have been working to fix the problem, university officials say.

Southeastern canceled classes and closed the campus Thursday through Friday.

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Follow the publisher of this post on Twitter: @treyschmaltz

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