As flood waters in and around Columbia continue to recede, both the campus and the city have begun the process of recovery. With the state preparing to enter day 13 of state emergency operations, the South Carolina Emergency Response Team has lowered their operational status from OPCON 1 to OPCON 3. OPCON 3 is the third lowest of the five possible operation levels, according to The State.
On-campus classes have resumed after a full week of cancellations and the majority of dining locations, most of which were forced to close during the storm, have reopened. Additionally, this weekend’s Homecoming football game against Vanderbilt University will be held at Williams-Brice Stadium as planned.
“Our campus suffered no significant damage and we did not flood. There were leaks and a handful of classrooms that required cleanup—but that's to be expected in buildings hundreds of years old. Our Horseshoe, Innovista, Athletics Village and even Williams Brice Stadium are ready for your return," University President Harris Pastides wrote in an email sent to students.
One major issue brought on by the flooding that is still being felt on campus is the boil water advisory, which remains in effect for the Columbia campus. The State reports that city officials hope to lift the advisory within the next few days.
Local and state agencies have also made progress with regard to road closures, announcing Tuesday that southbound lanes of the major corridor I-95 have reopened. However, repairs to the northbound lanes of I-95 are still ongoing and take up a great deal of man power and supplies.
“We originally sent 200 truckloads of concrete (for I-95’s northbound lanes), but we’ve had to add 70 truckloads to that,” Gov. Nikki Haley said at her noon briefing Monday.
In total, more than 300 roads and bridges remain closed around South Carolina as a result of the flooding.
The human cost of the storm is also still being felt with the American Red Cross reporting Tuesday that more than 300 South Carolinians are still living in 15 different shelters.
“It’s gut-wrenching, sad to see. Very few people have flood insurance in Columbia. They literally lost everything,” said Shandon Baptist Church College Minister David Taylor in an address Sunday night.
The City of Columbia will host a total of two open houses for area homeowners and contractors to help them understand the process of applying for government aid and coping with other aspects of repairs such as applying for permits. The first was held Tuesday at the C.R. Neal Dream Center from 6 to 8 p.m. and the second will be held Thursday at Kilbourne Park Baptist Church from 6 to 8 p.m.
One point of pride for the university throughout this ordeal has been the volunteer response by students, culminating in the founding of UofSCRelief by third-year sociology and Russian student Cory Alpert.
“UofSCRelief was started last week and began mobilizing volunteers on Tuesday. We coordinated 1,369 volunteers at 42 sites totaling 5,015 hours. We’re currently in a shift phase between crisis management and disaster recovery,” Alpert said.
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