College prepares for students while repairing flood damage

POCAHONTAS, AR (KAIT) - Black River Technical College will soon welcome students back for their fall semester, one day after flood repairs are set to be complete.

The college had a total of ten buildings damaged during the major flooding in May.

One of those buildings on campus was the library.

A librarian says before the flood employees scrambled to get books high above the ground to avoid damage.

Krystal Hendon said of the 27,000 books in the library, none were damaged.

However, their building took quite a hit.

Despite the library being closed for repairs, Hendon said students still had resources available thanks to many in surrounding communities.

"I was able to reach out to the Randolph County Library and the Greene County Library, along with Williams Baptist College Library," she said.  "They have offered to let our students use their facilities as needed and we've been put in the learning center which has a computer lab so we can help with database research."

Now with school set to start on August 21, school officials hope repairs will be complete by the August 20.

"It's going to be kind of hectic," said Hendon.  "As soon as books are on the shelves, we'll be able to help the students find the research they need."

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