McMurry University in Abilene, Texas had to find alternative sources of water for dormitory bathrooms after the city’s water supply was compromised “due to multiple redundancies of the power grid failing.”
Resident assistants were then compelled to use melted snow and the campus swimming pool to keep the toilets running. KTAB reported that they filled up large coolers borrowed from the football team with water from the pool as a temporary solution.
McMurry also noted that some of its students decided to use melted snow as a back-up. University Athletic Director Sam Ferguson tweeted a photograph that showed students filling up their individual buckets with pool water inside the coolers.
Our @mcmurryreslife staff is amazing. With Abilene water service temporarily unavailable, our RAs, with the help of @McMURRYFOOTBALL, filled up coolers with water from the pool so that our bathrooms remain operable. Grateful for the innovation and effort. pic.twitter.com/hR4jubvHLQ
— Sam Ferguson (@samferguson1974) February 16, 2021
Texas A&M University has been experiencing similar problems as its water supply is critically low because of water well power outages and leaks. The school issued a Code Maroon alert on Wednesday and requested all its dormitory residents to conserve water and put off any activities that might waste any.
Making the Most of It
But while the bad weather has negatively affected several school districts and institutions, students from the University of Evansville saw an opportunity to give back.
Several students started shoveling snow from the driveways of local residents, dedicating 15 percent of their profits to Habitat for Humanity of Evansville.
“We saw the snow storm coming in and a group of us at UE thought ‘hey we maybe could make some money going out and shoveling,’ and then we got to thinking some of the groups we work with and volunteer with during the year, we weren’t able to do because of (coronavirus) and so we thought maybe we could also give back a little bit,” organizer Brock Wandel told WEHT.
Those involved in the project said that they shoveled 40 driveways on the first day but still have a long way to go.
