Campus Alert Archive
Fordham

Six Inches of Ida Rain Floods Walsh Library and Closes Both Fordham Campuses

NYfloodingadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

The remnants of Hurricane Ida dumped roughly six inches of rain on Fordham's Rose Hill campus in the Bronx on the night of September 1, 2021, flooding Walsh Library, Queen's Court, and the McShane Campus Center. With New York City under a flash-flood emergency and the subway suspended, Fordham closed all campuses on Thursday, September 2 and canceled day and evening classes.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Fordham University
Private R1 · NY
~16,000 studentsFordham Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstructionThe Fordham Ram (quoting Public Safety email)178 chars
The University remains on a normal schedule, but members of the University community should exercise caution while walking on campus, and avoid walking near or under large trees.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Fordham's first message held the schedule as normal and stressed walking caution, before the citywide flash-flood emergency forced a full closure hours later — a sequence that illustrates how fast Ida's rain rates outran institutional planning.
The wording is reconstructed from The Fordham Ram's quotation of the Public Safety email and is not confirmed verbatim from an official archive.
UPDATEEmail+9 h
Approximate reconstructionFordham Now severe-weather closing notice225 chars
Due to storm damage, mass transit suspensions, and road flooding in New York City from Tropical Storm Ida, all campuses of Fordham University are closed today, Thursday, September 2. All day and evening classes are cancelled.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The closure notice cited transit suspensions and road flooding rather than on-campus hazard — the dominant operational driver for an NYC commuter-heavy university whose risk geography is the subway, not the quad.
Reconstructed from the Fordham Now closing page; treated as paraphrase pending an archived verbatim copy.
Context

Background

Fordham's Rose Hill campus sits in the Bronx, where the remnants of Hurricane Ida produced record single-hour rainfall on the night of September 1, 2021 and pushed the city into a first-ever flash-flood emergency. Roughly six inches of rain flooded Walsh Library, Queen's Court, and the McShane Campus Center, and students reported water in residence-hall basements. With the subway suspended and roads closed, Fordham closed all campuses on Thursday, September 2. Thirteen people died across New York City during the storm, most in illegally converted basement apartments, making Ida one of the deadliest weather events in the city's modern history.
Analysis

Key Findings

Fordham's messaging moved from 'normal schedule, walk with caution' to a full multi-campus closure within hours as Ida's rain rates outran the forecast
The closure rationale was transit and road flooding citywide, not a campus-confined hazard — characteristic of urban commuter universities
Record rainfall flooded Walsh Library, Queen's Court, and the McShane Campus Center at Rose Hill
Outcome
Both the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses closed September 2; classes were canceled. Dining at both campuses ran on normal schedules and Facilities/Public Safety staff still reported. No campus deaths were reported, though 13 people died citywide.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Severe Weather Closings | UPDATE - Fordham Now
    now.fordham.edu
  2. Student Paper
    Fordham Faces Record-Breaking Rain Throughout Campus - The Fordham Ram
    thefordhamram.com
  3. Student Paper
    BREAKING: Flooding on Campus Following Tropical Storm - The Observer
    fordhamobserver.com
  4. Source
    Effects of Hurricane Ida in the Northeastern United States - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
Tags
floodinghurricane-idanew-yorkbronxcampus-closureweather2021
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion