November 16 2015

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NOVEMBER 16, 2015 VOLUME 105 ISSUE 30

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FLOOD

Fourth resource center opens for flood victims By Autumn Wright NEWS REPORTER @autumnwright697

SAM KING STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Jill Jones Nov. 6 Standing infront of what used to be By The Bridge, her antique shop in Wimberley, before it was destroyed by the 2015 Holloween floods.

Wimberley shop permanently closes doors due to recent flood By Clayton Kelley NEWS REPORTER @Claytonkelley

What was once a quaint antique shop facing Cypress Creek in downtown Wimberley is now a vacant and destroyed building. Flash floods during Halloween weekend brought destruction to Jill Jones’ business, By the Bridge Antiques, for the second time in six months. The business was first damaged in the historical Memorial Day weekend flood when rising waters broke the record of a similar disaster in 1929. Jones plans to shut her doors after being struck by a natural disaster yet again. “This last flood was the death blow for me,” Jones said. “My entire location is ripped to shreds.” Jones said after putting many years into her business, she doesn’t have the drive or will power to start all over. She regrets the unchangeable circumstances that have caused her to shut down. “It’s almost like a phantom limb,” Jones said. “I’ve been waking up in the morn-

ing and thinking my little shop will be there, but it’s destroyed.” Jones said the Halloween flood came too soon after the Memorial Day weekend disaster, leaving her little time to prepare for another natural disaster. “It could not have been worse,” Jones said. “This is worse than the ’98 flood and the Memorial Day flood because I have never seen it do this kind of destruction.” The effects of the two floods were distinctly different from one another, Jones said. “The Memorial Day flood was an unprecedented monster,” Jones said. “However, it didn’t affect anything other than the path the river takes and its tributaries. The first flood filled up my shop, which is a few hundred yards from the river, like a bathtub—and it sank like a bathtub.” The Memorial Day weekend flood differed because Jones’ shop experienced five feet of flooding, rather than complete destruction. “The largest portion and most valuable source of my business is metal art,”

Jones said. “Because the water wasn’t rushing and the metal didn’t float, when the water went down it was exactly the way I left it, but just a little muddier.” She said the metal from the first flood saved her business because she wasn’t able to salvage some of her other antique items. “This recent flood was a different story because I had practically nothing left,” Jones said. “The raging water ran way too fast and it took out cement walls, infrastructure like fences, and it even took out the ground from under itself. It’s all gone.” Jones has owned her antique shop for 13 years. She said business was booming prior to the Memorial Day weekend flood. “2014 was a really great year for my shop,” Jones said. “The flood changed all of that.” Victoria Ferguson, manager of On a Branch Boutique in Wimberley, said her shop lost some inventory over Halloween weekend. Ferguson said a lot of business owners in town have made less because of

the Memorial Day weekend flood. “A lot of it does have to do with the media,” Ferguson said. “It seems like they portrayed this town as being wiped out the face of the planet, but that’s not true.” Jones said she believes the second flood will not help attract the attention to other local businesses in Wimberley. “It seems like the press led people to think that we were off the map, but we’re trying to stay strong,” Jones said. Jones wants to remind others that Wimberley is still alive and shoppers should continue to support local businesses. Despite the flooding, Wimberley and Hays County are currently experiencing major growth. “I had hope to be here to capitalize on this growth,” Jones said. “Although I did experience this growth with my business, another year or two would have definitely helped me out.” Ferguson said By the Bridge has been around longer than most of the other businesses in downtown Wimberley. “It’s really disappointing

to see this flood because it was her sign to let her business go,” Ferguson said. “We really are trying to get the word out that she won’t be here anymore, but her stuff is up for sale.” Don Ferguson, city administrator of Wimberley, said officials have responded quickly to help people get back on their feet. He said Wimberley has a volunteer resource center to help mitigate damages from the flood. “We’re very sorry (Jones) sustained the damage,” Don Ferguson said. “It’s a very hard time for her and our thoughts and prayers are with her.” Jones said she wants to thank all volunteers who helped her during the summer after the first flood. She said it is time to move on and the next step is moving out of her house and renting a vacation home. “I’m very touched and moved to tears by what the community is doing to help me,” Jones said. “I still have inventory I haven’t paid for and I am very thankful for those who are supporting me.”

UNIVERSITY

Long night against procrastination comes to Alkek By Darcy Sprague SENIOR NEWS REPORTER @darcy_days

For many, November signals the approach of Thanksgiving, family and feasts, but for other college students, the holiday break marks the beginning of a 72-hour period to begin working on final projects. In an attempt to change the tradition of frantically finishing projects at the lastminute, Alkek Library will be hosting Long Night @ Alkek Nov. 17 to encourage students to complete their work before the holiday break. The night will officially kick off at 5 p.m. and end at 2 a.m. featuring an interactive presentation from Brilliant Bobcats at 7 p.m. “The night will help students get some work out of the way so that they can celebrate Thanksgiving,” said Sarah Naper, director of research and learning services. “That way they won’t have to eat turkey and cram for finals.” The presentation will teach students about procrastination and help them identify their study problems, said

LESLY DE LEON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Naya Sipas, a nursing sophomore, studies in the 4th floor of Alkek Library on Nov 17.

Katie Palmer, office of retention and management and planning coordinator. “We want students to learn a little bit more about what procrastination is, so they that can identify those behaviors in themselves,” Palmer said. Students participating in the night will receive a wristband, and will be asked to write their goals on a large sheet of paper displayed on the first floor, Naper said. Participating Bobcats will be asked to check in throughout the night. At the end of the night there will be prizes for students who have

reached their goal. Patricia Boucher, learning commons assistant, said there are going to be study breaks throughout the night to help students destress. When students walk in, they will receive Bubble Wrap to pop as a de-stresser. The major event will be a Bubble Wrap stomp on the first floor. “The great part is that students can participate in as little or as much as they want,” Naper said. Students from the department of Residential Life and Housing will host a game of Silent Library, as seen on MTV, where participants will

compete in teams to do outrageous things without making a sound, Boucher said. Some of the other study breaks include yoga and Tai Chi, Boucher said. Palmer said many students have problems with procrastination. She said students have found the Brilliant Bobcats’ presentation to be helpful in the past. She said the interactive goal-setting is very important. Boucher said there will be more to the night than just fun study breaks. An increased number of personal tutors will be available to help the students. This includes library assistants and Student Learning Assistance Center writing tutors. “Nine a.m. the next morning is going to be an interesting time for us,” Boucher said. Additionally, Room 105 will be open and staffed for students who need access to a computer lab. That means an additional 30-40 computers will be available for student use, Naper said. Naper said she loves having so many students use the library during finals, but she is hoping this event will cut down on the number of stu-

dents cramming last minute. “We are excited people feel comfortable here,” Naper said. “Late-night studying is part of the college experience.” The library can hold 14,000 people at a time and there are 2,990 seats, Boucher said. The library is used by 12,000-14,000 students a day. Every floor of the library is full during finals week, Naper said. “My first year here I came in one morning and had to step across two sleeping kids to get to my door,” Naper said. She said finals week normally includes students camping out in the library and sleeping on floors or tables. While Naper is happy to see students working so hard, she hopes this event will allow them more free time over the break. The idea behind the event came from a university in Germany, Naper said. Boucher said the idea has been spreading globally and is popular in Canada. “We are sort of the forefront of libraries bringing this idea in the United States,” Boucher said.

A fourth Volunteer Resource Center has been opened by the Blanco River Regional Recovery Team to accommodate citizens in the Buda-Kyle area who suffered major property damages from the Oct. 30 flash flood. BR3T is a nonprofit organization established in May as a response to widespread damage and loss of property from the Memorial Day weekend floods in Central Texas. The organization has created resource centers in San Marcos, Wimberley, Martindale and now Buda. Courtney Goss, volunteer coordinator for the San Marcos VRC, said the organization added another center to increase convenience for flood victims in the area. “It’s just easier for them,” Goss said. “That way, people in those affected areas won’t have to travel as far to seek help.” Goss said not every town was affected the same way during the Halloween weekend floods, and each one has unique needs. Donations can be made to BR3T through PayPal or the organization’s website. “It’s just different needs,” Goss said. “In Wimberley, it was a lot of homes that were taken off their slabs, whereas here in San Marcos it was a lot of rising water.” Elizabeth Wills, volunteer at the San Marcos VRC, has worked with other organizations like the Red Cross. She volunteered with BR3T before the Halloween weekend floods struck the area. She said volunteers help move debris off properties and give owners referrals to apply for temporary housing, along with more case-specific services. “Many of the people who come for assistance have also been affected by the floods back in May,” Wills said. “We talk to them to find out their needs and match them up with other volunteer groups to help them with any specific problem.” Ron Rodriguez, citizen of San Marcos, said he and his family evacuated immediately after receiving a flood warning on Oct. 30. “After we evacuated that Friday morning, we stayed at the public library till 4 (p.m.) and then spent the night at the nearest shelter,” Rodriguez said. Rodriguez and his family were able to go back to their house the next day. Volunteer organizations helped move debris from the family’s home and gave them information on how to rebuild and repair their property. “We had a lot of different organizations come by,” Rodriguez said. “The Red Cross came and gave everyone a hot meal and breakfast.” Rodriguez said the flood caused him and his family to lose most of their furniture and belongings. “We threw out a lot of basic furniture like sofas, shelves and bookcases, stuff that’s going to warp out,” Rodriguez said. This was the second time this year that Rodriguez and his family had their home damaged by a flood, but they are now more knowledgeable about what to do in an emergency. “We have clothes packed in the car, food and portable chargers in case there is another storm,” Rodriguez said.


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November 16 2015 by The University Star - Issuu