Photo courtesy of Tyler Mroczek
Hurricane Ida barreled through Long Island on the night of Wednesday, Sept. 1, bringing torrential rain to Hofstra University’s campus. The hurricane caused flash flooding throughout the New York metropolitan area, including an incident that occurred in the lobby of one residential hall, Bill of Rights.
Around 9 p.m., Tyler Mroczek, an on duty Resident Safety Representative (RSR) and junior journalism major, noticed the lobby had begun to flood when water started pouring through cracked ceiling tiles. The leak occurred within close proximity to several electrical fixtures, according to Mroczek. He said this created safety concerns, which he shared with others who were gathered in the lobby.
“We were scared someone was going to get electrocuted because it was right by the printer and all the lights,” Mroczek said.
At the time of the incident, Mroczek alerted a Public Safey Officer and the Resident Safety Office of the leaking ceiling. He said he did not see anybody from the University come to assess the water damage.
“Eventually it just stopped on its own,” Mroczek said.
Caitlyn Wrang, a junior film studies major and a resident of Bill of Rights, also experienced ceiling leakage in her 11th floor room. She said flooding during major storms has been an issue in her room dating back two years when she first moved into her living space.
“I called maintenance last year to fix the problem and it’s still not fixed,” Wrang said.
She added that to temporarily fix the leaking problem, she bought herself a bucket. When there is a leak she uses the bucket instead of calling maintenance.
Wrang states the University maintenance team is insufficient and fails to consider students’ privacy.
“[Maintenance] didn’t even give me a warning that they were coming,” she said. “They just come to your dorms.”
The University released an official statement regarding to the flooding.
“During the historic rain event associated with Hurricane Ida, our campus experienced a ceiling leak in the lobby of the Bill of Rights residence hall,” the statement reads. “The leak was repaired quickly, no students needed to be relocated, and our campus was ready for full operation by 7 a.m. the morning after the storm hit our region.”