University: Stony Brook students displaced by storm to live off campus for semester
In a basement of Gray Residence Hall on Thursday, Eric Tiedemann, interim director of construction at Stony Brook University, assesses flood damage that forced students to find emergency housing. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
The storm that flooded Stony Brook University dorms and forced students to seek shelter at a hotel will keep more than 50 displaced through the end of the fall semester.
Four days into the semester Thursday, floodwaters in the Gray and Ammann residence halls were still draining out.
University officials said the displaced students will remain at a nearby Holiday Inn Express while repairs are made and be shuttled to campus for classes.
The university did not give a specific date for the students to move back, but interim President Richard L. McCormick sent a letter of appreciation and encouragement this week.
WHAT TO KNOW
- The storm that flooded Stony Brook University dorms and forced students to seek shelter at a hotel will keep more than 50 displaced through the end of the fall semester.
- University officials said the displaced students will remain at a Holiday Inn Express while repairs are made, and be shuttled to campus for classes.
- Floodwaters that forced students out of the Gray and Ammann residence halls continued to drain Thursday.
Appreciation and encouragement
"Thank you for being patient and flexible as we sorted out the impact of the ferocious flooding across our campus, including the residence halls," McCormick said. "We know you and your parents and family members were inconvenienced and disappointed. But you stayed the course and never lost sight of the promise of your future here as a Seawolf."
The storm on the night of Aug. 18 continued into the next day and sent cascading floodwaters onto campus, damaging more than 50 buildings at a cost of at least $22 million.
Water filled the stairwells of the residence halls and burst through a utility door at Gray, wiping out the building’s electrical system and a transformer that was located in the basement and used for hot water.
Seven elevators were damaged in dorms, the chemistry lab and in the computer science building.
Gray and Ammann residents were forced out as water that would eventually reach 9 feet flooded the basements just days before 476 students, including a new class of freshman, were set to move in last week.
"In this case, we had to adjust the move-in schedule, because clearly the places where students were supposed to live were not going to be available and will not be available for some time," said Lawrence Zacarese, a university vice president and chief security officer.
"Our teams worked around the clock, and within 72 hours, were able to reassign all 476 students to various places on campus."
Move-in delayed
The move-in was delayed for three days after at least four buildings were left without power. The incoming freshmen were relocated to other housing on campus and about 56 students were sent to the Holiday Inn Express.
Stony Brook University was not alone in suffering heavy damage from the storm that drenched Suffolk's North Shore with about 10 inches of rain.
Suffolk officials have been collecting damage reports through the county website and submitting them to the state for damage totals.
Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine’s office said Thursday that a countywide survey so far has shown 81 homes and businesses reporting major damage and 1,360 reports of minor damage.
County officials did not have an exact estimate of countywide damage but have estimated it could top $100 million.
Federal Emergency Management Agency officials said Thursday that they are working with state officials but have not yet received a request for a major disaster.
On campus at Stony Brook, students bustled between classes and filled the student union Thursday, while large garbage bins sat next to the flooded dorms.
Floodwaters destroyed much of the same university electrical equipment replaced three years ago after damage from the remnants of Hurricane Ida. That storm hit in September 2021, causing more than $10 million in damage, and like most recently, just days after students moved in, forcing evacuations. But this storm nearly doubled the rain total and standing water.
After Ida, the university added pumps on some campus roads to reduce flooding. Since the storm, the pumps have been used on campus ponds to reduce the chance of flooding from future storms.
"We still have projects from 2021 open and we’re working with FEMA and Homeland Security to try to make sure this doesn’t happen again. We have to learn our lessons," said Eric Tiedermann, Stony Brook's interim director of construction. "But 3 inches of rain an hour is not going to be handled by any storm system."
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
'I did not live up to the standards that I try to hold for myself' Justin Timberlake appeared in a Sag Harbor court Friday to plead guilty to a lesser charge in his drunken driving case.
'I did not live up to the standards that I try to hold for myself' Justin Timberlake appeared in a Sag Harbor court Friday to plead guilty to a lesser charge in his drunken driving case.
