Godby High: Damage from flooding 'mere bump in the road,' principal says; repairs to come

Leon County Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna briefed board members Tuesday of damage assessments and renovation plans that will occur over the summer at Amos P. Godby High School.

Two weeks ago, Leon County saw 10-12 inches of rain during a torrential storm system. LCS delayed opening schools by an hour but Godby High remained closed until last Monday.

"There was no way they could've had school, 80% of that campus was completely engulfed in water," Hanna said during Tuesday's School Board meeting.

He said Godby will need new flooring, cabinets and some dry wall replacements. The need for additional repairs will be assessed over the summer, while the school is mostly unoccupied.

Hanna said the cleanup took four days with the service of two water extraction companies, five cleaning companies, two landscaping companies, and industrial hygienists to monitor air quality.

"This is why we have insurance; property can be replaced but people cannot," Hanna said. "The extraction alone was probably a quarter of a million dollars, and the damage, once we replace everything, will be in the millions."

For the damage at Godby and other school sites, the district will only pay a $100,000 deductible, Hanna said. A sampling of other schools in the district with flooding include:

• Kate Sullivan - cafeteria and offices
• Ruediger - Building 5
• Riley - one classroom
• Nims - one classroom
• Buck Lake - buried cable burned out, other damage

Godby Principal Desmond Cole said the devastation highlighted the resilient culture embedded on campus. He noted how members of the community members and School Board members arrived on campus ready to help the Cougars get back on their feet.

The local chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Inc. even donated $5,000 to the school for support.

"This is really a mere bump in our road when I think about what the folks in (Hurricane) Katrina and New Orleans had to suffer through," Cole said. "We're having school now; they could not have school. Many of them had to relocate after what happened."

"The community has poured themselves out to us," he said. "And we're going to continue to receive it until we become whole again and that's going to happen, all it is, is time."

Alaijah Brown covers children & families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at ABrown1@gannett.com.