Broken Pipe Floods Sunderland Hall

Many students living in Sunderland Hall had to vacate the dorm Wednesday evening after a fire sprinkler pipe broke at approximately 2 a.m. Wednesday morning, causing extensive flooding in the west side of the building.

"(Affected) students should prepare to move out so work can begin to fix the damage," said Mark Miller, Drury's director of media relations. All 64 residents on the west side of Sunderland Hall were evacuated Wednesday morning when the pipe broke, and all 64 have been required to move out for the remainder of the semester.

Although the reason why the pipe burst is officially yet to be determined, officials believe that the recent cold weather was behind the break, said Miller.

Dean Dr. Charles Taylor sent out an email to Drury faculty early Wednesday morning, advising them of the situation and asking for flexibility when it came to students and final exams.

While many local students are electing to simply go home in light of the damage, Drury Housing is working to secure accommodations for displaced students to stay through the remainder of finals week.

Miller says that major electronics were moved from Sunderland to Wallace Hall to prevent damage.

Students that plan to file a claim are encouraged to photograph any damage to their property, said Miller.

Campus operations has already begun to search for contractors to repair the damage to Sunderland. It is hoped that Sunderland will be ready for students before the beginning of the spring semester.

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