South Carolina, university face lingering problems as ice, snow melt
USC was still mired in ice and slush Thursday, and the university canceled classes Friday, the fifth missed day this semester.
USC on Thursday warned students that even walking on campus could be tricky, and the National Weather Service warned that ice and snow that has melted will refreeze overnight, making roads treacherous again.
And as the snow and ice begins to melt, campus is running into new problems like falling ice.
The university has blocked off pathways near the Honors Residence Hall and Longstreet Theater because issues have cropped up there. Falling ice has also been reported near Preston College and Hamilton College.
“Stay clear of the sides of buildings and large tree limbs,” USC said on its website.
Information about storm damage campus wasn’t immediately available Thursday afternoon, according to spokesman Wes Hickman. A carport on Wheat Street across from West Quad appeared to have collapsed under the weight of the ice.
Housing Director Kirsten Kennedy said in an email Thursday that residence halls haven’t had any unusual issues, but South Tower lost hot water Wednesday; that has been resolved. Twelve maintenance workers have been sleeping on cots during the storm to make sure issues are resolved.
“What has been reported has been addressed so far,” she said.
Dealing with some problems has been tricky, though, Kennedy said. Two of Columbia Hall’s three elevators aren’t working, but repair workers from outside USC haven’t been able to come in and fix them.
The storm has been the worst winter weather the city and state has seen in years. It’s been called the worst ice storm in a decade by Gov. Nikki Haley, and the National Weather Service says it’s the first time since January 1940 that snow has fallen in Columbia three days in a row.
As a result, all but a few county offices across the state closed Thursday, and for Friday, counties, including those in the center of the state, were split between returning to normal, opening on a delay and closing. Richland County was one of the last to announce it closure, which forced USC to stay shut down.
Haley declared a state of emergency and asked for help from the federal government because of the storm, which dumped inches of freezing rain, sleet and snow on Columbia and the rest of the state.
Still, Columbia and Richland County have so far been spared the worst of the storm. At most, Richland County had about 2,000 houses and businesses without power while the state had more than 200,000 in all.