By
Julie Crothers, September 12, 2008
The longtime director of Franklin College’s Hamilton Library watched through a neighbor’s window as floods destroyed his family’s house this summer.
As the house sat in the direct line of destruction of the June 7 flood that swept through much of Southern Indiana, the force of the racing water tore out the majority of his basement and submerged the first level of his home. His basement wall collapsed, his gravel driveway washed out and his garage no longer stands.
He couldn’t measure the damage until the next morning because water was still flowing.
It was bad. But it could’ve been worse.
Friends from the college and from around town quickly pitched in to help Schuetz and his family clean and repair the house.
“We were fortunate in so many ways … but it was a whole lot of work and effort,” he said.
Schuetz’s home was one of 90 in the city of Franklin that was completely destroyed.
Even though a nearby park was nearly destroyed and huge numbers of homes will have to be razed, a sign still proudly read that while Mother Nature may have taken their homes, it hadn’t damaged the town’s pride.
Campus lucky
Franklin College was lightly touched compared to other local damage, but volunteers and other assistance arrived within hours of the first sign of flooding.
Flooding on campus affected the Student Center, Hoover-Cline Hall, Elsey Hall and the fitness center as well as the Lambda Chi Alpha, Tau Kappa Epsilon and Kappa Delta Rho fraternity houses.
At the time of the flood, a collection of Franklin College workers and a Baptist women’s group were staying on campus. They were quickly moved to Elsey’s upper floors as the basement flooded.
As the weather worsened, the college opened its doors to the public and area residents were invited to stay and eat while they did what they could against the destruction of the storm. In addition, the college served as a host site for the Red Cross, FEMA and other state agencies.
Lisa Fears, the vice president for planning, plant, and technology, was among the first to respond. As the rain began to look like it would cause flooding, she called Specialty Systems Incorporated, a company contracted by the college for emergency relief. SSI brought several sump pumps to help push out the water. Within four days the water was mostly gone.
$60K price tag
Financially, the storms caused little strain on the college as it was nearing the end of the budget cycle and the college had already made plans for several major repairs before students returned in the fall. Bryan Spetter, the vice president for finance, said total repairs cost around $60,000, including both materials and labor.
Spetter says though the college carries no flood insurance on its buildings, the fraternity houses did have coverage. He said he hopes that a funding request made to FEMA in late August will help to cover some of the unexpected costs due to the storm. The results of this request will arrive later in the semester.
Increased flood protection
As Franklin moves forward from the storms, the college has already begun looking into preventative methods in case of a flood in the future. Mark Lecher, director of Plant Operations, adds that a new device called a “water bug” is being investigated as a means of notifying staff of future flooding. The sensor would be installed in the buildings and a notification would come over the radio signals if flooding occurs.
Fears says the college has already spoken with city maintenance and “highlighted challenges and developmental work.” She said she hopes that helping the city understand where problem areas occur will assist with drainage issues in the future.
Long-term, Spetter said he hopes that the memory of the flooding and devastation will serve as “a reminder to the common partnership between the college and community.”
