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Several SMU students were forced out of their dorms after a power outage forced an evacuation.
The power outage began just after 4 p.m. Tuesday and completely shut down the campus. Dining locations were closed, and classes were canceled for the night.
Students in the dorms were asked to vacate the campus by 7 p.m. The Highland Park United Methodist Church offered to take students in and give them a place to stay until the power is restored. Several students went there. The university directed students there if they couldn’t find a plan B.
Many students were frustrated. Most had family they could call but others did not.
"We don't know where we're going to be staying,” said one student. “This is a mess. They told us to evacuate the room and he said, ‘Go to Walmart. Go to CVS.’ So he didn't give us a place to stay. We have nowhere to go."
Some dorms reopened after regaining power around 9 p.m., but several students still had to make alternative plans for the night.
The campus recently suffered another power outage on September 6, but university officials say they don't believe this one was caused by the same thing that caused that one. They are not sure what caused the latest outage.
Students say they received a phone call, a text and an email about the power outage. However, they were told to not expect the same when it's restored. Many of the systems that would generate the calls and emails are not working because of the outage.
The university said they expect to have all power back to the remainder of the campus by midnight.
Students are encouraged to keep their cell phones on and ready for a call and to keep monitoring SMU’s Twitter.