By: Raven Lirio
September 12 started just like any other Wednesday for most students until the Washington rain took a turn for the worse. With non-stop rain and hail, multiple buildings around campus experienced sever flooding with reports coming from the Anderson University Center (AUC), Mary Baker Russell (MBR), Ingram, and most notably Hong International Hall.
At around 6 p.m., water started leaking from the balcony rooftop on the third floor of Hong out into the hallway as well as from the patio just outside of the Language Resource Center (LRC). The water continued to spread to fill up most of the downstairs lounge and more water from the roof seeped into the third floor classroom. There were leaks coming from the third floor onto the second and from the second to the first floor.
The main cause seemed to be a slight slope in the patio which caused water to move in through the walls and floor to the LRC. On the rooftop, there was a storm drain blocked by pine needles that was unable to drain the water fast enough.
“Initially it was raining super hard and my roommate and I had my window open,” reported Hong First-Year Resident Sarah Calvin-Stupfel. “Our stuff started to get wet and so we closed our window. I went out to go play in the rain with some friends before returning to my room. After around 20 minutes, I left to go to the bathroom only to see the balcony was flooding and water was seeping into our classroom and lounge.”
Shortly after the water began to spread, the fire alarm sounded off and all residents were evacuated to Ordal Hall where they stayed until the building was clear hours later.
“As soon as I heard the alarm, I just grabbed everything and went out the emergency exit following everyone else,” said Hong First-Year Resident Amanda Dodson. “I was super shocked and everyone was snapchatting the whole ordeal.”
While Hong sustained a significant amount of damage, the bottom most area of the AUC was also hit with a substantial amount of water. Areas hit included Campus Ministry, the Scandinavian Cultural Center (SCAN Center) and Clubs & Organizations.
“Water came in through the walls of the courtyard into the building,” said University Pastor Reverend Jen Rude. “There was water throughout the whole hallway which got onto the carpets of the office.”
The SCAN Center was hit with water both from the courtyard, which also had a drain blocked by pine needles, and from the entryway of the stairs. Fortunately, Facilities and Management worked fast to take care of all flooding issues on campus. Water was sucked up within 24 hours of the flooding and fans were running to ensure all moisture was evaporated to prevent any mold from forming. As of now, all buildings have been cleared on moisture levels.
Despite the intense turn of events, students reported it as a memorable experience.
“It’s definitely something I will look back on four years from now when I graduate,” said Hong First-Year Resident Jhel Diaz. “How many people can say that they experienced a flood in their first two weeks of school?”
