“I’m pretty agitated because I’ve been stuck in a dirty, broken down CV1 dorm for two weeks,” said journalism freshman Carly Gray.| Photo courtesy of Carly Gray
During the first week of the semester, residents in floors five through seven in Cougar Village II suffered severe flooding caused by the arctic blast, and many are still dealing with the consequences.
Residents whose rooms experienced the most damage were temporarily relocated to vacant dorms in Cougar Village I. Two weeks have passed after the initial flooding, and many students are still lodging in their temporary assignment. The University has since partnered with Cotton Global Disaster Solutions, a crisis recovery company, to assist in repairing the extensive damage.
“I’m pretty agitated because I’ve been stuck in a dirty, broken down CV1 dorm for two weeks,” said journalism freshman Carly Gray.
Many students reported damaged personal items such as bedding, shoes, appliances and wall decorations.
According to the 2023-2024 Residence Hall Service Agreement, the University is not responsible for loss or damage to personal property and they strongly encourage residents to insure their personal property.
However, Student Housing and Residential Life provided residents with a housing credit, which will cover the cost of their dorms while they are relocated.
“Housing said they can’t reimburse us for the personal items we lost, which is unfortunate,” said political science freshman Ana Toro.
A majority of the damages affected the walls, flooring and shower, according to Toro.
“I went to check out the progress on my dorm and there’s still some streaks on the wall. The shower still isn’t fixed yet and it smells really weird,” Toro said.
When the flood first happened on Jan. 16, multiple students reported that it was difficult to get help and find information about relocation.
“I had to sit in the lobby for two hours waiting to be relocated. I feel like there should’ve been a plan in place in case that happened because it’s not uncommon to have pipes burst when it’s cold,” Gray said.
This instance of flooding is not a first for the dorm, as CV2 flooded last year after a pipe burst, said finance sophomore Abbey Krause. And in 2019, CV2 flooded due to a Ventilation system malfunction— forcing residents to evacuate.
“It’s such a common occurrence that resident staff should already know how to deal with it,” Krause said.
