GRAMBLING, La. – When Alan Blakeney waded through storm waters to reach his office on May 18, the director of Grambling State University’s Television Center was faced with about seven inches of flood water that had damaged hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of television production equipment.

“It was just a little bit shocking to see all that water,” Blakeney said. “It was immediately apparent that stuff needed to be done. I wanted to get everything off the ground as immediately as possible. I was trying to get as much stuff saved as possible. That was the only thought in my head.”

Prior to the storm, most of the television center’s production equipment had been laid out on the floor in preparation for the equipment inventory that Blakeney conducts at the end of every semester.

Woodson Hall, where the Television Center is located, stands on one of the lowest points on campus and was the building hit the hardest by the heavy rainfall. While Woodson Hall has been dried out, most of the television studio equipment has been sent off for evaluation to see if it can be salvaged.

Blakeney said the students, who use the equipment for news, YouTube and video projects, were fortunate that the flooding did not occur before the end of spring semester. The priority now is making sure that the Television Center is ready for students when they return for the fall semester in August.

The equipment is covered by insurance, but Blakeney is unsure if the claims will go through to replace the equipment before the start of the fall semester. He is asking for help from the community to ensure that this flooding will not interfere with the education of students.

He is asking for donations of money, video equipment or computers to help get the Television Center back on its feet. Mass Communication alumni have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the Television Center at http://www.gofundme.com/v34vc8s. Donations can also be made at https://secure.qgiv.com/for/gufi/ by designating your gift to Flood Relief.

“We certainly appreciate everyone who has helped and everyone who has called with well wishes. We really appreciate everyone who went the extra mile and donated things like fans when we were trying to work our way out of this,” Blakeney said.

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