No official provisions have been made for the construction of an ark, but the rainfall flooding Notre Dame campus has been of record proportions.
According to the National Weather Service, South Bend was drenched by a record 6.58 inches of rain on Saturday, breaking the previous mark of 4.69 inches for a single day, set 40 years ago.
Early in the afternoon, Saint Mary's Lake overflowed, sending its waters across the intersection of Holy Cross Drive and St. Mary's road and becoming one with St. Joe's Lake. The turn was soon barricaded.
The waterway gained force as it flowed across the grassy stretch overlooked by Columba Hall. Fish from St. Mary's Lake were swept up by the current and struggled to return upstream, maneuvering tree trunks in the process.
A river, albeit nine inches deep, formed behind the statue of Father Sorin on God Quad. The reflecting pool in front of the library overflowed. Miniature ponds have sprung up and made sidewalk travel, if not treacherous, troublesome.
The most prominent of these is "Lake Dillon," located in front of the dorm on South Quad.
A group of men from Sorin Hall made an afternoon visit to "Lake Dillon" for a little adventure.
One threw a football to the middle of the lake, while the others took turns sprinting in and making diving catches.
"Nothing beats a face full of mud, a mouth full of water, and a touchdown catch. This is where heroes are made, this is where legends live, this is the middle of South Quad," sophomore Kale Frank said.
An NDSP officer eventually halted the group's activity.
Students from the Houston area, which has been hit hard by Hurricane Ike, compared campus conditions to their hometowns.
Junior Ryan Dworaczyk said, "It's better than Houston. We're underwater right now."
Freshman Natalie Lester has experienced Hurricane Ike's effects twofold.
"I'm from Houston, so we got hit there, and now here," she said.
Many students found ways to adjust to the rainfall, cancelling plans and choosing to stay inside and study.
"I had plans of going to play basketball," said freshman Caleb Atwood. "Not now."
Sophomore Nicole Ruiz from Pasquerilla East has been forced to cope with the rainfall.
"Yesterday, I was working at a concession stand and the rain was the most horrible thing ever," she said.
She added, "I haven't had to change my plans much, but I have had to change my clothes."
