Effect of Hurricane Katrina on Tulane University

As a result of Hurricane Katrina and its effects on New Orleans, Tulane University was closed for the second time in its history—the first being during the American Civil War. The university closed for four months during Katrina, as compared to four years during the Civil War.

The School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine's distance learning programs and courses stayed active, despite the storm displacing about 100,000 students.

Prior to Katrina, Tulane University was the largest private employer in the city of New Orleans; immediately afterward it became the city's single largest employer of any type, public or private.

Also as a result of Katrina's impact, the football team was forced to play its entire season on the road due to Katrina's destruction of the Superdome. The university reopened on January 17, 2006.