While the water continues to rise and the power flickers from time to time, threatening to send campus into another period of darkness, there is no need to start building an ark yet.
“We are really in pretty good shape,” said Miles Mann, assistant director of facility operations. “We’re thankful.”
Mother Nature decided to have a personal vendetta with the Midwest, causing USI’s campus to deal with wave after wave of severe storms. From tornado warnings to flood warnings to hours of darkness in the on-campus apartments, students felt the impact.
Flooding on campus is minor, with only a few low-lying areas holding water: nothing of concern, according to Mann.
“We put as much drainage in as we could,” Mann said. “We’ve thrown all the money, all the time, all the personnel at it.”
Teams of two or three physical plant workers divide the campus buildings up, then go searching for leaks to deal with. Mann said only a few areas have leaks – the building with the most leaks being the new UC – but the contractors take care of those.
Tornadoes and high winds can also pose a threat to campus during inclement weather. Director of Security Steve Woodall said security always keeps an eye on the weather and is prepared to let students know when to take shelter.
Woodall said most people already have the knowledge of how to deal with inclement weather situations since it’s something taught from a young age. Things like staying away from windows and going to the lowest possible level should already be engrained.
“It’s really no different than what you would do at home,” Woodall said.
In the event of a power outage, the majority of buildings on campus have back-up generators which start automaticallly. The residence halls and apartments wouldn’t receive power in the event of a blackout, but areas such as the Community Center and the University Center would, providing students with a place to find food, electricity or shelter.
If the campus housing power were to be out for extended periods of time, Woodall said the PAC and Rec would be opened for students to have a place to shower.
Since campus is a densly populated area, Mann said it is at the top of the response list for Vectren if power is lost and the residence halls would be the first to receive power.
Woodall said no matter the weather, preparation is the most important thing for students to do.
“Be prepared, that’s the first thing,” Woodall said. “Have a plan in place. Have a flashlight, spare batteries; listen to the weather radio.”
