Why did the lights go out for Main Campus Tuesday night?A squirrel shorted a power substation. At least that’s what the remains of the animal looked like, Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Kevin MacNaughton said. The safety function of the substation caused it to turn off rather than “frying.”

How long did it last?The outage was just a little less than two hours, running from about 5:35 p.m. until approximately 7:25 p.m.

Why didn’t the University use its new emergency text message system to communicate with students?The system had not yet been tested. David Rainer, associate vice chancellor for Environmental Health and Public Safety, said the plan was to test the system later this month when all students are back at school.”We’re not going to use the system until we test it,” Rainer said.

Why were some students evacuated from their residence halls?Some RAs from Tucker and Carroll halls said they evacuated their residents because the emergency lights in their halls were not working.Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Tim Luckadoo said the residence halls would not have kept their residents out of their rooms overnight unless instructed by the police department or fire department.

Did anyone get stuck in elevators?Yes, and some were calling Raleigh 911. But Watch Commander Jack Moorman said all students stuck in elevators had been removed from them by about 7 p.m.

How did Campus Police respond?Because Campus Police was transitioning from its day to night shift, the department was able to hold over some of its day officers and have “double coverage,” according to Watch Commander Jack Moorman.

What happened with on-campus public buildings?Carmichael Gymnasium, D.H. Hill Library and the dining halls all closed for some period of time during the blackout.

Assistant News Editor Chris Allred contributed to this report.