March 24, 1998

Flash flood washes into Boone

Heavy rain submerges ASU and Boone Friday morning

Darin Glass, Editor-in -Chief

Leslie Hitchcock, News Editor

Torrential rainfall fell over Boone Friday,  soaking the already saturated ground and causing flooding at Appalachian State University and surrounding areas.

Approximately 3.23 inches of rain fell  within 24 hours, while 1.5 inches fell between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m.

Appalachian only suffered minor damages with two buildings incurring water problems.

ASU Varsity Gymnasium and Edwin Duncan Hall sustained minor flooding.

According to the Administrator of Building Services, Paul Wilson, “One to three inches of water came into the gym.”

The main floor of the gym was resurfaced two weeks ago with a special waterproof apoxi finish that hopefully will allow for minimal damage, said Wilson. 

There still could be damage around the perimeter of the main floor in areas that were not treated, Wilson said.

The extent of the damage will not be known for awhile, until estimates from professionals come in.

The estimated damages might be warping and advanced deterioration of the floor, said Wilson.

More damage might have occurred if it was a weekend and the custodial staff had not reacted so quickly, said Wilson.

The staff used wet vacuums, mops and other water machinery to soak up the water.

Additionally, the carpet in the men’s and women’s locker rooms had to be shampooed because of the dirty water.

Duncan Hall was the other building threatened by the high water.

Duncan did not receive as much water and sustained less damage because clean up crews were on site when the water was coming into the building, said Wilson.

A report from the Physical Services Building said 170 man-hours were used in the clean up of the buildings.

The convocation center site sustained minimal damage with some landscaping being washed away, said Associate Vice Chancellor for Physical Operations Clyde Robbins.

Rainfall reports were approximated because of technical difficulties at Watauga County Emergency Management.

“We’re not sure of the exact measurement, because lightning struck our tower Friday morning,” said representative Tim Nelson.

Emergency Management has a Rainflow Measuring System that records rainfall, Nelson said.

“When the data comes in, we broadcast it, and the National Weather Service hears it and issues a watch or warning accordingly,” said Nelson.

When the tower broke, Emergency Management had to record the data manually, Nelson said.

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