The University was not untouched by the historic flood that ravaged South Louisiana earlier this month. Though campus did not sustain much physical harm, many University employees and students were affected.
While the University’s damage was less significant than other areas, the faculty and staff have had to put in work to make up for the lost week prior to the start of the semester, said Dan Layzell, vice president for Finance and Administration.
“From the facilities and the grounds of the campus, we were affected not very much,” Layzell said. “Obviously we had some flood-related damage, we had some buildings that got water in them … but none of them were inhabited buildings. So I would say from that standpoint, the impact was minor.”
While there were key problem areas, the flooding caused little to no damage to the majority of campus.
Buildings such as Pleasant Hall, Hatcher Hall, Middleton Library, the Student Health Center and the Edward Gay apartments were not affected by the flooding itself, but by the severity of the rainfall, said David H. Maharrey Jr., executive director of Facility Services.
“A lot of the rain events, it all depends on how the rain comes,” Maharrey said. “A lot of times, it’s not the inches, it’s when they come.”
Most of the buildings affected were built with basements, originally intended for use by mechanics. As the University has grown, these basements now house rooms used for classes, Maharrey said.
Buildings were also left vulnerable because of improper sealing of the basements, meant to prevent water from entering.
For example, Middleton Library’s basement, which houses state government documents, had been sealed halfway for water intrusion, but still lacks sealing around the other half of the building, said Sigrid Kelsey, director of Library Communications and Publications.
“We have had problems with leaks in the past. Every time we have heavy rain, water comes in to the basement of Middleton,” Kelsey said. “Each time it happens, logically, it gets a little bit worse as leaks get bigger.”
Waterproofing buildings, along with fixing leaks that did not pose immediate threats, still remain on a list of repairs being made campus-wide at any given time, Kelsey said.
Other significant issues were the ways in which the University’s faculty and staff were personally affected by the flood. Most live in Baton Rouge and surrounding areas, making their residences susceptible for flooding, Layzell said. Amid the devastation, some University offices reported only being staffed around 30 percent after the initial flooding.
“Some things we’re having to see what can be done,” Maharrey said. “There are certain projects that are waiting that we’re going to get done.”
Since the week before students’ return to campus is usually a critical time for University preparation, being understaffed forced administrators to reevaluate for a more appropriate end date for many projects slated for completion at the beginning of the semester, Maharrey said.
Assistant Vice President of Residential Life and Housing Steve Waller said those able to make it back to campus following the flooding, some of whom had nothing left at their homes, helped out with understaffed move-in day activities.
“The positive thing is our staff stepped up,” Waller said. “Our graduate assistants, our live-in professionals and resident life coordinators … they were out there moving the traffic and supervising with the volunteers.”