By Brianna Rodriguez
On Tuesday at approximately 3 p.m., a water line broke on the fourth floor of Residence Hall One, causing flooding and water damage to rooms throughout the building.
According to students, the flooding began after a case of water fell behind a refrigerator in one of the rooms. The case hit the refrigerator’s water line, causing it to burst. Water immediately gushed out of the wall and eventually seeped down through the ceiling.
Resident assistant Gavin Jones, a senior studying graphic design, has never experienced anything like this during his time at USFSP.
“I got a text from a friend while I was in class and I came here to the room. Of the four years that I have been here, nothing this major has ever happened in RHO,” Jones said.
Tuesday’s scene saw the stairwell dripping with water between the third and fourth floor, with visible water damage on the first floor ceiling. Puddles lined each level as workers diligently managed to vacuum up the saturated walls, ceilings and floors.
According to Chloe Thirion, an RA on the fourth floor who is an accounting major, rooms ending in the number “16” were expected to be without water Tuesday night.
“It’s inconvenient. I plan to check in on the students that were affected,” she said.
Students are flooded with questions.
Some main concerns revolved around the timeline for getting the situation cleaned up, as well as the possibility of mold.
Fans were placed in the hallways overnight to dry the area.
“All of us got affected in our room,” said Shivam Shah, a freshman finance major. “I’m not sure whether our stuff will be replaced or if the room gets moldy, what happens with that? Will they change our room?”
In addition to residence hall staff, Servpro, a company that specializes in fire and water cleanup, is being commissioned to help clean up the mess.
