High rise rooms damaged by floor waters

Amy LipmanAmy LipmanDaily Pennsylvanian Staff Writer According to resident advisor Karey Kessler, the flood was the result of an overflowing toilet on the fifth floor. The water broke through the ceiling of the fourth floor lounge, and proceeded to seep into the rooms beneath it, the College junior said. The lounge was filled with water, and pieces of ceiling covered the floor. Kessler said the water was immediately vacuumed up, but the lounge will take a while to fix up. Eight rooms on the third, fourth and fifth floors were affected by the water. Although Residential Living released a letter to these students promising clean-up assistance, several students complained that they have not received enough attention. According to flood victims, Purvi Kamdar and Senwan Akhtar, they have gotten very little response from Residential Living. The two Wharton sophomores added that no one helped them move into the separate quads they were temporarily assigned to on the seventh floor. When a Physical Plant worker came to vacuum the water from their room, they were told that nothing could be done until the water stopped flowing. No one returned to alleviate the problem, they said. According to Head Resident Scott Webster, who authored the letter to the students, Physical Plant responded Friday night when they were informed of the flood. The Law student said that workers addressed the complaints made to the front desk. Akhtar and Kamdar said, however, that they spent three and a half hours complaining at the front desk Friday night. They were informed that everything would be OK by today, but nothing was done to improve their situations, they said. The water flooded through their ceiling in mass quantities, virtually ruining their room, they said. "It seemed as if it was raining indoors," said Kamdar. "It was just rancid, repulsive, yellow-colored water pouring through the ceiling." Some of the items ruined from the water include clothes, books, a suitcase, a brand new clarinet and an expensive oriental rug. But, said Akhtar, her anger is not because of the water damage. "It's not even a matter of what's been ruined," she said. "It's just that Residential Living has been so apathetic about the whole situation."