2008 Woodie Awards
Residents left high and dry after flood
Lauren Ruffing
Issue date: 10/31/04 Section: News Stories
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South Hall's evacuation on Thursday, October 8th may have seemed routine, but little did grumbling residents know, this was no fire drill. This time, the deafening alarm wasn't due to the drunken antics that are especially notorious in freshmen dorms. This time, the blaring signaled an accidental reality, one luckily devoid of fire, but unfortunately abundant in flooding.
At around 10:15 p.m., most South Hall residents emptied their rooms with annoyance and nothing more than their keys. Worrying about homework to finish or plans to solidify, they stood with their hands on their hips, awaiting a quick remittance. They didn't find one.
While residents were dispersing to North Hall, West Hall, and the beloved mound, two apartments, RA apartments at that, were battling excessive water damage in the aftermath of a careless accident. The living room sprinkler of a second-floor apartment had, in an instant, burst open when a coat hanger attached to it for reasons unclear had been tugged down.
"Everyone was freaking out," said Senior RA Jon Grabowski. "All of a sudden, I saw water rushing at me from the bathroom."
South Hall sprinklers shoot a hundred gallons of water a minute and the affected room's sprayed for at least 20 minutes.
"We tried to get our computers and stuff out, but there was only so much we could do when the outlets began sparking," said Grabowski.
With the floors, particularly in the singles, saturated with a few inches of water, the apartment where the accident originated faced both dormitory and personal damage: floors, furniture, a printer, and an adaptor.
The apartment below, however, encountered an even graver outcome with damages including ceiling tiles, two mattresses, two computers, two desk lamps, a television and VCR combination, and possibly a DVD player. The Assumption maintenance crew labored diligently throughout the night and into the following day to clean the floors and replace the tiles, mattresses and furniture, and the residents profusely thanked them for their efforts, but college administration has yet to intervene in the matter of personal losses.
At around 10:15 p.m., most South Hall residents emptied their rooms with annoyance and nothing more than their keys. Worrying about homework to finish or plans to solidify, they stood with their hands on their hips, awaiting a quick remittance. They didn't find one.
While residents were dispersing to North Hall, West Hall, and the beloved mound, two apartments, RA apartments at that, were battling excessive water damage in the aftermath of a careless accident. The living room sprinkler of a second-floor apartment had, in an instant, burst open when a coat hanger attached to it for reasons unclear had been tugged down.
"Everyone was freaking out," said Senior RA Jon Grabowski. "All of a sudden, I saw water rushing at me from the bathroom."
South Hall sprinklers shoot a hundred gallons of water a minute and the affected room's sprayed for at least 20 minutes.
"We tried to get our computers and stuff out, but there was only so much we could do when the outlets began sparking," said Grabowski.
With the floors, particularly in the singles, saturated with a few inches of water, the apartment where the accident originated faced both dormitory and personal damage: floors, furniture, a printer, and an adaptor.
The apartment below, however, encountered an even graver outcome with damages including ceiling tiles, two mattresses, two computers, two desk lamps, a television and VCR combination, and possibly a DVD player. The Assumption maintenance crew labored diligently throughout the night and into the following day to clean the floors and replace the tiles, mattresses and furniture, and the residents profusely thanked them for their efforts, but college administration has yet to intervene in the matter of personal losses.