It’s no secret that in southeast Louisiana it rains a lot, getting about 50 to 70 inches of rain annually, and when going to college in Lafayette, Louisiana, students have to be prepared for showers. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette has been bogged down in days of non-stop rain, so far, causing flooding along sidewalks.
Shaniya Burrell, a sophomore kinesiology major expressed her frustration about the rain’s effect on campus walkways.
“I mean it’s just flooding. It’s flooding everywhere. Everywhere we walk its big puddles.”
Burrell goes on to describe her average day trying to come to school in the rain.
“I stay off campus, I catch the shuttle to get over here, stand in the rain to catch the shuttle, get on the shuttle, stand in the rain again to get off the shuttle. It’s a lot.”
Other students agreed the infrastructure around campus has not been able to contend with the rain, mainly citing sidewalks as the main problem.
Keyasija Daigre, a freshman human development and family science major, said what she thought the university should do to help the flooding around campus.
“I have a 15-minute walk to class. It’s horrible. They have drains in the wrong spots […] we need them on sidewalks, and add more drains to the right places and take them away from the wrong ones.”
When asked if her professors were accommodating, Teja James, a junior kinesiology major, expressed how some professors don’t understand students’ circumstances.
“They do not care because they feel like if they make it to class, you should be able to make it to class, but their circumstances are not your circumstances because they not walking all across campus.”
While some students decided the rain was too much of a hassle and skipped class, most agreed the rain would not stop them from attending. Freshman criminology major David Penn said that rain would not deter him, citing his workload as the reason.
“The rain is not going to stop me from attending class. I need to go to class; I don’t want to have to catch up on important stuff […] I’d rather be up to date.”
Another student believed skipping class was unnecessary, citing his hometown as what prepared him for mass amounts of rain.
Ian Tate, a sophomore computer science major, said “I’m from New Orleans, so I’m really used to it […] it doesn’t really affect me for real.”
Whether the rain bothers a student or not, there are some rainy-day essentials every student should have. When asked what those essentials were, most students said an umbrella, poncho, rain boots and backpack cover to protect school materials.
Freshman electrical engineering major, Thien Hoang, revealed his need for better shoes to protect his feet in the rain.
“It sucks. I’ve been wearing the wrong shoes everyday, so my socks get wet a lot, and I forget my umbrella sometimes, so I’ve been getting wet a lot.”
Though this weather comes as no complete shock to most who are from Louisiana, compared to this time last year, this rainy weather might be challenging still. According to the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), in 2023, South Louisiana faced a historic drought during the summer and fall, and it caused millions of dollars in agricultural losses.
Since the rain has decided to come back full swing early this fall semester, here are a few facts to remember.
In 2023, the U.S. Department of Transportation reported that 75 percent of car crashes happen on wet pavement and 47 percent happen during rainfall. With thousands of people being injured or killed annually due to wet pavement, it is important to practice safe driving while commuting to school.
Always stay alert while driving, be aware of hydroplaning, brake cautiously and avoid going through huge puddles, especially on campus.
The weather can also affect peoples’ moods. Extreme weather can have significant psychological impacts, including depression, among other mental health issues. Feeling slow on a rainy day is normal, so it is important to find ways to combat those feelings.
Rainy days are hard on everyone, but students should do well to remember that the sun will come out again.