Part of Hagerstown Hall was flooded during winter break by a discharge of water coming from a break in old heating pipes, causing $5,000 in damages, Resident Life officials said.
Workers found between one-quarter to one-half inch of water on the morning of Jan. 3 in the building’s lobby and one of the first floor wings, damaging items left by residents in 10 rooms during the break, officials said.
The leak probably began some time overnight, hours before it was noticed, said Terry Perkins, assistant director of facilities maintenance.
Old age and “natural failure” caused the break, Perkins said. The pipes were at least 30 years and might have been as old as 50 years old.
“Some [pipes] age well; some don’t,” Perkins said.
Replacing the broken pipes, and cleaning and disinfecting carpets and floors to prevent molding cost about $5,000, Perkins said.
The total cost of the damages could increase after student insurance claims are processed, Perkins said. Students who received damages to their items can file a claim with the university’s insurance company or their parent’s homeowners’ insurance company, said Amy Martin, associate director of the North Campus area.
The students whose rooms were affected were notified later in the day, Martin said.
“I was worried at first because they described it as a flood,” said Caitlin Dietsche, a sophomore biology major. “I heard ‘flood,’ and I was alarmed, but not too much stuff was affected.”
Most of the property damaged was small, including shoes, books and clothes, students said. Some students salvaged their electronics by taking the items home and drying them out.
Livia Ehardt, a sophomore biology major, said she was able to save her sneakers.
“You never really think a pipe would burst and flood the floor,” said Brittany Jackson, a sophomore communications major. “Everything was fine.”
Contact reporter Kaitlyn Seith at seithdbk@gmail.com.