By Jordan Dallimore, Staff Writer
Over the weekend, heavy storms brought significant flooding to the Ouachita Baptist University campus and surrounding areas in Arkadelphia. Floodwaters peaked at 28 feet early Sunday morning, just two feet shy of the record level set in 1945. The north side of campus bore the brunt of the rising waters, with trees uprooted and debris swept across the grounds.
Sgt. David Howerton of the OBU Police Department shared that the safety of students, faculty and staff was the university’s top priority. “Our primary concern was the safety of our OBU family,” Howerton said. “Prior to the flooding, thunderstorms with the potential of tornadoes were our primary concern. Once that threat passed, we turned our attention to flooding risks.”
Howerton noted that preparations were made days in advance, including staging barricades for potential road closures. “Once the flooding started, we monitored the situation and limited access to the affected areas,” Howerton said.
Howerton was at his home in Arkadelphia during the initial storm but returned to campus for the remainder of the weekend. Although his own property suffered fallen trees and limbs, his home was spared from damage.
The storm’s impact extended well beyond campus. “Many low-lying areas were impacted by the flooding, making some roads impassable,” Howerton said. “Businesses were also affected by the flood. For example, the Humane Society Animal Shelter was flooded. Animals were found standing in several inches of water inside the shelter. Volunteers responded and were able to render aid.”
Fortunately, OBU’s football stadium avoided flood damage, but the nearby Crews indoor practice facility was not as lucky. It took on several inches of water. Other storm damage included a collapsed footbridge between the fieldhouse and stadium parking lot, a downed section of the baseball field’s fence, and a damaged wooden fence separating the football player’s parking lot and practice field.
“The roadway has been reopened, although more cleaning to remove silt needs to take place,” Howerton said. “The Crews indoor practice facility is in the process of being assessed for damages.”
Students were also caught in the chaos. Cassidy Gorman, a junior, recalled the tense moments leading up to the storm. “Friday night we went to open dorm just to be somewhere safe in case a tornado came,” Gorman said. “There’s no safe area in our apartment in the event of a tornado, and it’s really old. We got to the lower floor of the dorms, out of the way of the windows, and were watching the news.”
After a long night of weather alerts and heavy rain, students woke up to a transformed campus. “Everything on the south side was pretty much underwater,” Gorman said. “It was crazy because I’ve never seen flooding like that. You couldn’t even make out any landmarks; it just looked like one big river.”
Despite power surges, outages and rising concerns about flooding in her apartment, Gorman was thankful the worst was avoided.
“We are thankful to the students for following instructions during this storm, which undoubtedly helped keep everyone safe and injury-free,” Howerton said. “Buildings and equipment can be replaced, but lives can’t.”
