Campus Safety performs good deed in W.Va. flood region

On June 23, 8 to 10 inches of rain fell in parts of West Virginia over a 12-hour period, resulting in a flood that tied for the seventh most-deadliest in West Virginia history.

In an act of goodwill and community service, members of the Roanoke College Campus Safety staff traveled to West Virginia on July 19 to help with recovery efforts.

"We were looking for an opportunity to do some good work for the community," Director of Campus Safety Tom Rambo said. "The summertime seemed like a good time to do that."

Rambo contacted Volunteer West Virginia, the state's commission for national and community service. And on July 19, wearing protective Tyvek suits, the seven-member Campus Safety team spent the day in Rainelle, West Virginia, removing insulation and duct work from under the flood-ravaged home of an elderly man.

"It is probably some of the worst work you can get," Rambo said of the team's one-day work assignment. "It was horribly muddy. There were warnings to look out for rattlesnakes and copperheads." (The team did not encounter any.)

Rambo was joined by Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Brian Chisom, Associate Director of Campus Safety John Grisetti, and Campus Safety officers Richard Cooper, April McCadden, Rob Ross and Tim Spence. The team spent a "strong" five hours removing damaged material from the home, which will help the homeowner in the rebuilding process, Rambo said.

"A lot of people don't have insurance coverage and are not able to get repair work done," Rambo said. "This elderly man couldn't get under the house to do the work himself. We took out as much as we could get out."

Campus Safety staff plan to return to West Virginia to continue recovery work, said Rambo, who, as assistant vice president for Student Life and director of Public Safety at Susquehanna University, did recovery work in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Return trips would give other Roanoke College staff who helped with logistical planning an opportunity for hands-on participation. They include Vice President of Student Affairs Aaron Fetrow, Campus Safety Coordinator Sarah Battaglia and Campus Safety officers Kevin Assenat and Dave Flynn.

"They wanted to go on July 19, but we needed staff here on campus," Rambo said. "We will create another opportunity to give others a chance to go, too. We're also looking to get students involved."

Media attention may have shifted away from West Virginia, but the need continues to be extremely great there right now, Rambo said.

"News coverage has just about dried up, but they still need a lot of help," he said. "There's still work that needs to be done, and I'm sure we'll be going back."