University of Connecticut students living in Busby Suites were woken up at around 5 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 9 after a sudden pipe burst caused a flood in a third-floor lounge, according to an email from university spokesperson Stephanie Reitz.
Photo courtesy of mydorm.com
About 50 students were required to temporarily relocate following the burst, according to Reitz. Students were housed primarily in the Oaks on the Square, Connecticut Hall, Shippee and free apartments in other complexes, Reitz said.
The damaged pipe, a fire sprinkler pipe, froze and later burst in a third-floor study lounge near the building’s exterior, Reitz said. UConn Facilities Operations has been working with trade shops and outside companies to lessen the water damage, repair or replace any damaged portions of the building and return the dorms back to normal conditions, Reitz said.
“The hall director and assistant director have been communicating with impacted students throughout the process, walking down the hallways and knocking on doors individually to speak with students,” Reitz said. “They have also followed up by email to ensure they have been in touch with everyone in case some were out when they visited the hallways.”
For students living in Busby, the sudden fire alarm so early in the morning was a shock. Resident Bradyn McNally, a civil engineering student in his fourth semester, quickly realized the problem.
“We knew it wasn’t a drill because the drill was earlier in the week,” McNally said. “So, we all kind of procedurally head out towards the exit. There’s no water in the hall at that point, so we just assume that it’s something random. But as we’re going down the stairwell, we can see water dripping, and once we’re out, we see even more dripping.”
McNally said he and the other students living in the building stayed outside for about half an hour until the fire department allowed them back inside. By the time McNally reached his floor, a massive puddle had formed.
“We can see this giant puddle of water that’s very slowly, like, inching down the hall,” McNally said. “Water was dripping from the floor above. So, then we go back to our rooms. We’re told that just to be safe, we should put towels in front of the door to stop any water from coming in. And from that point we were just confused on what to do.”
McNally was one of the lucky students on his floor, as the puddle had stopped growing shortly before reaching the door of his room. His belongings were unimpacted, and he was able to rest before later leaving again for his 10:10 a.m. class.
While McNally was able to return to normal life soon after, he said he didn’t receive much communication from the university about the situation.
“We learned it was a pipe burst a couple hours after it happened, and that I think people on our floor were just told to evacuate for the time being,” McNally said. “It was scary, I guess, but it wasn’t ‘evacuate,’ evacuate. It was just ‘get out of the area for the time being’ or whatever. And I think, later that week, we got emails concerning people coming in to inspect the walls and whatever for water.”
In her email, Reitz noted that frozen pipes bursting isn’t unheard of. She said students can help prevent future incidents by staying aware.
“Unfortunately, buildings on campus can be vulnerable to frozen pipes during sub-zero temperatures just as [it] occurs in homes, businesses, and other locations,” Reitz said. “We ask students to help by being our eyes and ears in their buildings, placing work orders when they first notice a leak or a heating issue, and to keep windows closed and secured.”