On Jan. 17, 2024, all students living in residence halls located on the Demorest campus of Piedmont University received an email with the subject “Winter Weather Advisory”. Attending Piedmont comes with the knowledge that it gets cold in these mountains, and most students are aware of the occasional harsh winter, icy roads, and even snow. The winter weather advisory email came with a set of instructions to keep the students warm and safe, no matter the drop in temperature. Students were advised to keep their thermostats at a minimum of 65 degrees Fahrenheit, leave windows securely closed, and have the sink cabinets open with a drip on every faucet to prevent a frozen pipe from bursting. 

Regardless of the prevention efforts, Mother Nature had her own way of countering. The 500 building in the off-campus apartment complex called The Village got the worst of the cold, and the pipes in the attic of the building couldn’t hold on any longer. The water ran its course first flooding room 504 on the top floor and seeping its way through the ceiling of room 502. A senior resident living in 504, Cortney Brown, was away with the track and field team participating in a meet when her downstairs neighbors called to ask why water was coming into their room from upstairs. Having returned home at 11 pm to find a flooded building, residents rooming in the 500’s were instructed to pack up and migrate to a dry New Bedford residence hall until further notice. 

“Since I had been at a meet all day, I didn’t get back to see the room until 11 pm that night,” said Brown. “At that point, all the water was out, and there was a bunch of fans and heaters throughout the whole place.” Having to set up shop in a completely new building three weeks into the semester is not easy on a schedule, routine, sleep regimen, and any pets who are also being displaced from their home. Brown has a small dog named Millie, who did not take the move lightly. “She doesn’t do well in new places, and she wasn’t happy in New Bedford, so unfortunately, I had to take her home until I move back into The Village,” said Brown. The adversity being faced by residents of the 500 building continues on as the construction process was ensured to be done in two to three weeks, yet still continues with daily progress. Having to adapt and adjust to a temporary living situation and having personal belongings saturated with water damage are things these residents take with them as they leave their homes. “It was very difficult to sleep the first few nights, and moving somewhere that was completely new was stressful,” said Brown.