Floods

Trinity students may have only experienced snow twice, but rain has been a more frequent occurrence, much to both the chagrin and pleasure of students.

In 1998, the biggest flood recorded in San Antonio history at that time struck, soaking Trinity’s campus. When waters took over residence halls, students piled their belongings on beds and shelves and blocked the doors with towels. Students in Winn and Calvert Halls treaded through ankle- to knee-deep water in their own rooms, with one commenting that his room smelled “like dead fish” because of the rain-soaked carpet. But among the destruction, some students found a way to have fun and tubed through the freshman quad atop inflatable furniture.

One alumnus, Jim Caldwell, recalled being in Laurie Auditorium when a massive rainstorm struck: “The rain came down so hard and so fast that it got under the roof of Laurie and began pouring out from around the lighting fixtures...the bottom parking garage was 2.5 feet deep in water, and when we took the elevator down there, water poured in when the door opened.”

“Cars were floating around like ping pong balls.” - Jim Caldwell