Last week’s sub-freezing temperatures froze a sprinkler line in Eickhoff Hall, causing a small flood in areas of the dining hall and on the second and third floors of the residence hall, according to Matthew Golden, associate vice president for Communications, Marketing, and Brand Management for the College.
“The flooding involved clean water from the sprinkler line. No sewage was present,” Golden said.
Caitlin Flynn, sophomore political science and journalism double major and Signal contributor, was not in her third-floor room when the sprinkler line above burst, but she said her roommate, sophomore biomedical engineering major Gabby Zapata, described it as a “quick, loud rumbling noise.”
“It happened around eight in the morning, before the alarm went off. Then we suppose the water ran down the walls and flooded our rug,” Flynn said. “My room had about an inch of water in some parts, but others parts were dry.”
Most of the rug was drenched and the bathroom was totally flooded. Anything on the floor was wet. My clothes, a few bags and shoes were damaged, but most of it could be washed and dried. I know one girl had her laptop on the floor and it was ruined,” Flynn said.
According to Golden, some students were displaced from their rooms, but they were relocated to other suitable locations across campus. Flynn and her roommate were two of the students who had to be relocated due to the flooding.
“I think about eight or so of us had to move to different dorms. My roommate and I moved into Phelps. We can move back in about two to three weeks, they said. We technically could move in now, but the dryers need to be in there and they cause a great amount of noise,” Flynn said. “Also, the smell is putrid.”
The sprinkler line was repaired on Wednesday, Jan. 23, but the process will take a little while longer to ensure that the spaces damaged are suitable to live and eat in, according to Golden.
“Water was extracted and drying equipment was set up in the affected locations. Once moisture readings show that the walls and ceilings are dry, the drying equipment will be removed. If readings indicate that a wall or ceiling is saturated, the wall and/or ceiling will be removed and replaced with a new one,” Golden said. “The restricted areas in the dining hall are below where the pipe leaked. Those spaces have been blocked off during the completion of ceiling and wall repairs.”
