This past week was an emotional one for us.
The catastrophic flooding challenged our campus, our city and our state. The storms pushed areas in and around Columbia to their limit, destroying homes, businesses and lives.
We saw incredible images of danger and destruction all around us, and we were all personally affected, though some certainly more than others.
We witnessed some of the worst Mother Nature had to offer last week. We also saw some of the best South Carolina has to offer.
University of South Carolina students stepped up in a huge way, offering their support to the community and coping with less-than-ideal campus conditions with brave faces. The largest group of student volunteers had over 1,000 students log almost 5,000 hours last week and many more students sprang into action as well. We couldn’t be prouder of our fellow Gamecocks that have helped out those in need.
Our university administration calmly stared down the challenges confronting USC and kept students informed and safe. The university managed to coordinate a mass cancellation of classes, workarounds for water service and collections of safety bulletins — not to mention moving its biggest weekly event hundreds of miles on very short notice.
The residents of our city and state showed an amazing willingness to help each other. We learned once again that in trying times, South Carolina only grows stronger.
We have so much gratitude and respect for those countless people who worked tirelessly to keep our city safe and give comfort to those who needed it. The support for USC and Columbia from local businesses and even our SEC rivals Vanderbilt and LSU has blown us away and we are so grateful.
But even with all the generosity and hard work so far, the rebuilding and healing is far from over.
The sad fact remains this storm claimed many lives, including a beloved member of the USC family, and our hearts go out to the families and friends still grieving for their loved ones. People all around the state are working to rebuild their homes or find new ones, and we send good wishes and prayers their way. Dams, bridges and roads must be repaired and this should serve as a wake up call to drastically increase our state's spending on infrastructure.
Here on campus, we’re returning to classes, but we face difficulties. We still don’t have full water service, and we have to make up a week of missed work and dashed plans. Even though our lives are slowly returning to normal, we must not forget those whose normal is a long way off. Our current issues are minor inconveniences compared to the suffering and devastation we saw last week, and we urge students to continue to volunteer, donate and bring awareness to the work that still needs to be done over the coming months.
Some of the emotions and reactions we saw and experienced last week cannot disappear fast enough. The fear, sadness and frustration will hopefully fade with time. We want the positive responses we saw — empathy, perseverance and a willingness to do whatever it takes for each other — to stick around.