One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: John B. Cade Floods

A water pipe ruptured on the rooftop of John B. Cade Library led to water pouring onto each of the floors just before 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon.
The Southern University Police Department (SUPD) was called to the library for reports of a fire alarm, only to find inches of water instead.
A circulating Facebook post made by SUPD Officer, Michael Mitchell, revealed that the library was in fact undergoing renovations when the flood began, ruining any chances of having a fully functioning library in the near future.
“[The school] was in the process of renovations when this happened. Imagine getting called out for a fire alarm then BOOM the whole building is flooding,” Mitchell’s post read.
Mitchell declined further comment with the Digest.
Inclement weather throughout the week leading up to the pipe rupturing caused Governor John Bel Edwards to declare Louisiana to be in a state of emergency.
Over the course of three days, meteorologists predicted overnight temperatures to be dipping into the lower 20s with daytime highs barely surpassing the mid 40s, a weather report nearly foreign to the likes of the southern state.
According to the Dean of Libraries, Emma Bradford-Perry, a pipe in the mechanical room on the fourth floor of the building could not withstand the test of the unexpected weather. The pipe was a major water line carrying cold water to the rooftop
“. . as a result of that pipe bursting, water subsequently came to all the four floors in the library from the top down,” she reflected.
Prior to the flooding, all floors except the fourth were fully functioning with resources at the disposal of students. Perry was able to confirm that the resources in the library made it out seemingly unharmed for the most part.
“Fortunately very few of the books were impacted because most of the water is on the floor, so we should be able to save most of the books,” she reassured.
According to Guarantee Restoration Services, a total of 2-4 inches of water fell between all four floors of the library, initially causing concern about the technology on the first and second floors.
Business major, Elijah Scott, conveyed concerns about the technology being ruined, as he frequents the second floor computer lab to complete various assignments for school.
“I depend on that computer lab to just be a quiet place for me to get my work done and print. It’s really the printing I’m worried about, I can use my phone for the rest,” Scott expressed.
The university’s Librarian for Technology, Dawn Kight could not speak on the exact condition of the technology at the moment, but offered an alternative for students.
Kight reassured, “A lot of our resources are available online through the web. Students will still have access to a great amount of information.”
Dean Perry has committed to assuring that students have tools for a successful semester.
“We’re going to make every effort to provide resources and services from the library,” she acclaimed.
An official statement from the university entailed updates about the current state of the library, and upcoming plans that the administration and faculty have in place for students.
Per the university’s official press release sent to students January 19, “. . . it will take 2 weeks to dry and remove damaged carpet and sheet rock. A third party company has been secured to test the water throughout the library to rule out any airborne issues. . .since the top priority is students, staff is working to finalize options for students to continue to access library and technology resources.”
Students will be able to utilize computer labs and copiers in the student union, T.T. Allain Hall, and the SU Law Library until further notice. There will also be a quick reference library section in the Student Center on the first floor of the library, which will also be the entrance to the library during the remodeling process.