i Hope everyone’s kids are safe and inside at Sputh Carolina. My daughter said it’s pretty crazy.
It’s bad and some news shows are falsely attributing it to a hit by Joaquin. It’s not. Weather people here actually said we would have been better off with hurricane hit in terms of water. But the system that caused so much rain earlier last week pulled moisture from the system. D1 is now a teacher and lives off Garners Ferry. She came home this morning since power was flickering and wasn’t sure she could get out of her neighborhood. Now you can’t get in. We are fine but some neighborhood houses on small lake had flooded basements. We can get out of neighborhood but nowhere to go without running into closed road.
Students should mostly be fine if on campus and if off if stay put. And they get the day off tomorrow.
USC told students on Friday they could move cars into garages if in low lying areas. Hope they mostly did. Now there is boil water advisory which includes USC campus and all downtown, so pass that on to your kids. I’ve seen the information going out from USC so I’ve seen updates and know they’ve been getting them.
The water is now off on campus and mostly throughout Columbia. My daughter lives out by the stadium and has no water. But she is safe and dry so is counting her blessings.
My D said they had a 6 PM curfew to be back in the dorms. Apparently not much food available on campus and the water has been turned off (at least in my kid’s dorm) due to possible contamination, so no showers, flushing toilets, etc. All the local eateries they called were closed. Bottled water was being given away at Russell House but ran out fast. Weather channel calling this a 1 in 1,000 year storm.
But this is all minor inconvenience compared to what some are enduring. D heard that a USC student had died in a flooded vehicle. I hope that is just a rumor and that all the students will play it safe and stay inside.
Yikes. We luckily still have water. Good reminder that water outside is not to play in since could be contaminated. Also saw info about girl that died in flooded car but wasn’t clear if was current student or grad. Hope all stay safe.
Added: according to USC notice they are arranging portable toilets for dorms and expecting delivery of more water tomorrow. Curfew is for entire city
Porta potties now placed outside RH and residential halls. If you haven’t signed up for Parents news, do it. They are forwarding me stuff they are sending out to students.(Even though mine has graduated I’m still on list)
http://www.sc.edu/uofsc/weather/ Follow for latest updates. Bottled water is being delivered. Water may be on intermittently on campus.
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but: If you’re supposed to boil water for at least 1 minute before drinking or cooking, does that mean if the water comes back on, you shouldn’t shower yet or wash your hands with the tap water?
Earlier I saw that showering (without getting water in mouth) was ok, but I personally would err on side of caution especially if water looks dirty or cloudy. If main issue is possible bacteria, then not sure washing in un-boiled water is good if handling food or putting hands to face. Try looking on city of Columbia water site to see if there is FAQ.
News reports it is ok for bathing but have seen comments by some students that water is brown. To me that is only good for flushing toilets! For students living off campus past 5 points city is distributing water at Richland mall for those with no water
Thanks. I didn’t find anything on the City website but did find this from a NJ municipal website:
Is potentially contaminated water safe for bathing and shaving?
It is not recommended that you shower, bathe or shave with potentially contaminated water as it could introduce the risk of swallowing the water. This is particularly a concern for children and disabled individuals who could accidentally ingest a quantity of water. Though the risk of illness is minimal, individuals who have recent surgical wounds, are immuno-suppressed, or suffering from chronic illness may want to consider using bottled or boiled water for cleansing
until the water quality can be assured again as safe.
How should I wash my hands during a boil water advisory period?
During an emergency period, vigorously wash your hands with soap and boiled, treated, or bottled water. If you cannot boil the water, be sure the water you use comes from a safe alternative source. If possible, use a waterless hand sanitizer.
My daughters water is back on but she said the news stations are saying it might go off again so they have filled their bathtub with water so they can continue to flush their toilets if the water is turned back off. I don’t think she has any plans to bath in the brown water!!!
USC President cancels classes for the remainder of the week.