By Elliott Nace | Staff Writer
Major storms at the end of April and beginning of May covered campus in a thick sheet of rain which caused lower levels of the Carroll Science Building and Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation to flood on April 26.
Tornado watches accompanied subsequent storms on April 30 and May 6. Baylor Facilities, when commenting on the situation, announced its intentions to maintain its quick response to weather circumstances while investing in improved drainage infrastructure near affected buildings.
According to university spokesperson Lori Fogleman, the April 26 storm dumped almost one and a half inches of rain just between 2 and 3 p.m. Although Baylor never lost power, the city of Waco reported several outages in the wake of the heavy rain.
“Our Baylor Facilities team responded quickly to any flooding reports, took the appropriate actions to mitigate any flooded or wet areas and also began looking at long-term solutions they may be able to apply to alleviate future issues,” Fogleman said.
Flooding becomes more noticeable in low-elevation areas on campus. According to Assistant Vice President for Facility Services Chad Crocker, rain begins to pool on campus if it falls fast enough.
“We’ve also experienced rain events with several inches of rain falling in a short period of time, which causes flooding issues in some buildings and low-lying areas around campus,” Crocker said.
Crocker said the typical facilities response to flooding involves quick action and the mitigation of permanent water damage to flooded floors and areas of campus, as well as drainage improvements ahead of future incidents.
Due to the unpredictability of stormy weather, Crocker noted that reaction and recovery always take first priority after flooding begins. However, he said facilities takes initial precautions to protect buildings from feeling the full effect of a downpour.
“[We use] sandbags as a preventive measure in buildings that are the most vulnerable to flooding and cleaning out storm drains to make sure leaves don’t build up and cause additional issues,” he said. “These kinds of actions can help us clean up and dry out spaces much faster when they get wet.”
Following the flood in the Carroll Science Building, which necessitated the use of large fans to dry out the ground level, Crocker said the incident stemmed from nearby storm drains not working as intended.
“Plans are in the works to fix the storm drains in front of Carroll Science,” he said.
