Design Flaws Cause Continued Floods At Residence Hall

Residents and students walking to class at the Talbert O Shaw Living Learning center were greeted by a flurry of cleanup activity as Plant Services; Honeywell and Kreative Koncepts worked to clean up the aftermath flooding in Talbert O Shaw Living Learning Center Women's Residence Hall.  According to Resident Counselor Jones, "A pipe, believed to be located in the restroom, burst on the fourth floor earlier during the day causing minor flooding issues for some residents on the west end of the residence hall. "

Physical Plant Officials acknowledge that it took approximately thirty minutes for the water to drain away after the faulty pipe was shut off.  Physical Plant and Honeywell worked together to stop the flow of water. School officials report that the pipe was about the size of a normal speaket one would use to connect a garden hose outside of one's house.

Talbert O Shaw Living Learning Center Women's Residence Hall, is no stranger to floods. Two semesters ago a faulty pipe burst causing damage to the building and personal property of the students directly affected.  Plant Services Officials and School Officials stress that the pipe failure was due to design flaws directly related to the engineering of the building and that the faulty pipe shared the same setup as the pipe that caused flooding in the Residence Hall two semesters ago.

Resident Erneisha Cooper, Junior who resides in room 427 feels differently, said "I sure hope Shaw is going to reimburse me for damages to my property." Erneisha along with roommate Phytina Hyde, Sophomore, arrived to their room and found their property damaged by water from the faulty pipe.

Residents Cooper and Hyde were not present in the building when the pipe failed; as a result they were unable to put towels under their door to stop the flow of water into their room; as their neighbors had done.

According to School Officials the school is in the process of installing shut-off values on pipes in the Talbert O Shaw Living Learning Center Women's Residence Hall, which should make it easier to stop the flow of water in case pipe malfunctions occur in the future.

Currently of room 427; Cooper and Hyde have been re-located in the Residence Hall. School Officials will be working with Cooper and Hyde to determine how they might be reimbursed for claimed damage to their personal property.