Campus Alert Archive
PVAMU

Prairie View A&M Closes All Three Campuses at Noon as Harvey Bears Down, Encouraging Parents to Retrieve Students

TXhurricaneadvisorymedium confidence

Prairie View A&M University closed its main campus, Northwest Houston Center, and College of Nursing at 12:00 p.m. on August 25, 2017 ahead of Hurricane Harvey's landfall as a Category 4 storm. All academic and administrative functions were canceled through Sunday, August 27, and parents of students living on campus were encouraged to retrieve their children before the storm. The university directed the campus community to monitor pvamu.edu for operational updates as Harvey made landfall.

Alerts
2
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
Prairie View A&M University
Hbcu · TX
~9,500 studentsPanther Alert System
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 reconstruction524 chars
Prairie View A&M University's main campus (City of Prairie View), the Northwest Houston Center (Spring) and the College of Nursing (downtown) will close at 12:00pm today, Friday, August 25, to allow students, faculty and staff to prepare for forecasted inclement weather brought by Hurricane Harvey. All academic and administrative functions are canceled. Parents who want to elect to pick up their students are encouraged to do so as soon as possible. For the most current updates on campus operations, visit www.pvamu.edu.

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

Reconstructed from KBTX Bryan-College Station coverage and Diverse Education reporting; specific alert text not independently confirmed from official PVAMU archive
Announcement came on the morning of August 25, 2017, ahead of Harvey's 10:00 p.m. CDT landfall near Rockport, Texas as a Category 4 hurricane
PVAMU's main campus in Prairie View is located approximately 50 miles northwest of Houston in Waller County
UPDATEWebsite
Approximate reconstruction286 chars
Prairie View A&M University remains closed through Sunday, August 27, 2017. The Emergency Management Team continues to monitor the storm. All campus activities and academic functions are canceled through Sunday. Please continue to monitor www.pvamu.edu for updates on campus operations.

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

Reconstructed from KBTX and Diverse Education coverage of the extended closure through August 27
PVAMU's Emergency Management Team was actively monitoring conditions and providing updates throughout the storm
Unlike some Houston-area campuses that extended closures through Labor Day, PVAMU's formal closure announcement covered through Sunday only; fall semester start was subsequently adjusted
Context

Background

Prairie View A&M University, the second-oldest public institution of higher education in Texas and a member of the Texas A&M University System, has an enrollment of approximately 9,500 students. Its main campus is located in Prairie View, Waller County -- approximately 50 miles northwest of Houston -- placing it squarely in Hurricane Harvey's path of devastation in late August 2017. The university proactively closed all three of its locations at noon on August 25, well ahead of Harvey's 10:00 p.m. CDT landfall near Rockport as a Category 4 storm. Parents of students living in campus housing were specifically urged to come retrieve their students before conditions deteriorated. Harvey ultimately dumped record rainfall across southeast Texas, and more than 500 students across Texas A&M System campuses -- including PVAMU -- withdrew and did not return after the storm. The Texas A&M System later received a $1 million grant from Qatar to provide emergency financial aid to Harvey-affected students. PVAMU subsequently established hurricane relief funds and worked with students whose off-campus housing was damaged or destroyed.
Outcome
Campus closed August 25-27, 2017. All students safely accounted for. Parents encouraged to retrieve on-campus students before storm. No injuries reported at PVAMU. The storm's aftermath had lasting effects: more than 500 students across Texas A&M System campuses (including PVAMU) did not return following Harvey.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    PVAMU to close at noon on Friday, TAMU in College Station to remain open - KBTX
    kbtx.com
  2. News
    Hurricane Harvey Shuts Down Colleges in SE Texas - Diverse Education
    diverseeducation.com
  3. Official
    Texas A&M System receives $1 million grant to restore college dreams for Harvey victims - Texas A&M Today
    today.tamu.edu
  4. Official
    Hurricane Harvey Relief - PVAMU Student Affairs
    pvamu.edu
Tags
hurricanehurricane-harveyhbcutexasfloodingcampus-closuretamu-system2017waller-county
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion