On the afternoon of Feb. 25, a flood began in Ryan Hall by a student who hung a hoodie on one of the sprinkler heads in their room. This triggered the sprinklers, flooding the room of the student as well as many rooms on the second and first floors.  

Many students had to stand outside of Ryan during the time of the flooding, most of them unsure of what exactly happened. 

Depending on the severity of the flooding, students that were affected were either temporarily or permanently moved to other living areas, such as other free rooms in Ryan, Briggs and Lewis. 

The damage was severe enough that outside intervention was needed in order to fix the issue.  

“The university used an outside contractor who came to dry out the rooms directly affected by the flooding,” said Sidney Rice, assistant director of the sophomore area for Residence Life.  

“The contractors opened walls, removed floor molding and inspected all spaces once they were dried. Each space was inspected for lasting damage, moisture, and mildew. Once a space was cleared students were permitted to return to their original spaces.” 

This situation left many students stressed and angry, as this occurred shortly before midterms and many of their items were damaged or at risk of being damaged.  

“Students should remember that sprinkler heads are extremely sensitive and are designed to disperse hundreds of gallons of water per second,” said Rice.  

“The pressure and water released from a single sprinkler head can cause thousands of dollars in damage for students affected. They can be triggered by heat, smoke, items being hung on them or even items hitting them. Students should steer clear of them and remember to not use them as hooks. Students should also remember that they can insure their personal items with renters’ insurance in case floods, fires, or other damage is caused on campus. If any students are interested in renters’ insurance but don’t know where to start, they should reach out to residence life!” 

This is important information to remember in the event that something like this happens again. Be safe, Lakers!