By Paige Quiggins
The flash flood earlier this month was devastating for Louisvillians, and even more devastating for University of Louisville residents. The Louisville Cardinal suffered damages in the thousands, but some things we lost are beyond monetary compensation.
Nearly 30 years worth of archived newspapers are gone, along with 10 computers, books, software, office equipment, chairs, tables, the carpet and even half of the wall. When we arrived at our offices, nothing was in order. Our staff was sweating like crazy and air ducts overwhelmed the room as we tried to salvage what we could out of the chaotic mess.
It was almost a relief to know we would be getting new carpet and a fresh start. Yes, we lost a lot of valuable data, but that is something we will have to deal with and learn from in the future.
Seeing the effects of an environmental disaster made us realize how much worse things could have been. The weather in the Ohio Valley has been unpredictable, but it is a far cry from unmanageable. If students in New Orleans can attend classes out of hotel rooms after Katrina, we can definitely produce a paper out of a temporary office. U of L should be able to handle it as well. It may take a long time to recover, but is the alternative even an option? Everyone should be thankful that our campus is intact, for the most part. At least we have not had to travel by boat for more than one day.
In the end, our office acquired 10 computers thanks to the Courier-Journal. We will gain new carpet and walls, and it is possible we could receive some office equipment. We also learned a valuable lesson: always have backups in different locations. When things got a little out of our control, we realized it could have always been worse. The only thing left to do is move forward and continue doing what we can with what we have to the best of our ability.
