The Marquette Tribune campus news since 1916
Volume 109, Number 26
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
www.marquettewire.org
Record-breaking rain leaves campus flooded
Photo by Clay Ellis-Escobar clay.ellis-escobar@marquette.edu
Starting the night of April 13 in Milwaukee, tornado sirens sounded and rain poured as Marquette University students braced for a week of severe storms and flooding.
Severe weather damaged several campus buildings ollowing what was deemed a 1,000-year flood in August 2025, Milwaukeeans thought they would have quite some time to spare until the next flood ravaged their city. 999 years ahead of time, the next historic flood struck, affecting Milwaukee — and Marquette University — for an entire week. As tornado sirens sounded, rain poured down and wind rattled windows during the nighttime hours of April 13, the Marquette campus began to brace for a days of severe storms in Milwaukee. But no one could have prepared for the damage was to come in the following days. Here’s how the university,
and Milwaukee as a whole, were affected by the weather in Milwaukee during the third week of April. Al McGuire Center floods during volleyball match On April 15, the third consecutive night of severe storms in Milwaukee, streets and buildings around campus began to flood. One of these buildings was the Al McGuire Center, whose roof appeared to have ripped shortly after 8:30 p.m. CST. Water began rapidly flowing down the upper-level bleachers and within minutes, pooled on the main concourse. Not long after, the building’s basement also got wet. At that time, the Marquette volleyball team was hosting a spring match against the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The game continued on for around 20 minutes before the building was evacuated and the match ended prematurely. The Marquette Wire
reached out to the university to clarify if the Al McGuire Center is operational yet. Spokesperson Kevin Conway responding with an email statement saying there was minimal damage to ceiling tiles, and that remediation efforts began immediately to address water in seating areas and one locker room space. Carpenter Tower loses power, other areas affected While the Al McGuire Center sustained significant flooding in both the basement and first floor, streets around campus also flooded. The same night, April 15, Carpenter Tower lost power in the middle of the night due to the torrential downpours. On the evening of April 16, the university cut power to several campus buildings to install a generator that restored power to Carpenter Tower, which houses nearly
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Opinions
Arts & Entertainment
The student organization focuses on mental health at local schools.
Port Washington residents will have a say in future projects.
Saoirse took home three individual and one team win.
By Mia Thurow
mia.thurow@marquette.edu
F
Photo by Clay Ellis-Escobar clay.ellis-escobar@marquette.edu
Carpenter Tower lost power in the middle of the night on April 15.
Index www.marquettewire.org
SPORTS.......................................................5 OPINIONS..................................................9 FUN & GAMES........................................10 A&E.................................................................11
Black Mindz takes on new label as an LLC PAGE 2
Future data centers need local approval PAGE 9
See FLOODED page 3
Irish Dance team wins big at nationals PAGE 11