First-year students evacuated West House after a sprinkler unexpectedly went off in a resident advisor’s room, causing a flood on the third floor of the building March 27 around 2 a.m. CDT. Students went outside and waited on the lawn while Vanderbilt staff members assisted them. 

While there are no student residents on the first floor, first-year students who lived on the second and third floors of West House have since relocated to empty rooms in residential colleges such as Zeppos College. First-year students living on the fourth floor weren’t initially relocated, but Vanderbilt announced March 31 in an email to students that the top floor of West House will close for the rest of the spring semester, with residents having to be packed by April 5 to also relocate to residential colleges. 

First-year Deian Braticevici, who lives in West House, described his initial shock witnessing the flood. 

“For the first two or so hours, everyone just stood watching in horror as water was seeping through the brick walls and doors. Through the windows, you could see ceiling tiles falling all over the place,” Braticevici said.  

First-year Ashna Mathur, a West House resident who had to move to Zeppos, described her experience when she first became aware of the flood. 

“I remember hearing the alarm at 3 a.m. and feeling a sense of panic and uncertainty as I woke up. My roommate saw the text messages from our friends asking if we were okay. As we stepped out of bed, we felt the water against our feet that was already spilling into our room through the door crack,” Mathur said. 

Mathur’s roommate, first-year Ami Singh said she was confused at first and thought the situation was a drill. 

“We slept through 30 minutes of the evacuation. I was on the same floor as the RA. The maintenance workers were there immediately and were very helpful,” Singh said. “I would just love some clarity with the timeline, but I understand there is not much they can say.” 

According to Braticevici, around 4:30 a.m. CDT, the Commons Center was opened for students to sit and rest while staff took care of the damage. Around 6 a.m. CDT, students were informed by staff members that the water had stopped, but there was too much damage for them to return to the building. Finally, at around 8 a.m. CDT, students were escorted to Hank Ingram House to receive new room keys. 

“They [Vanderbilt staff] escorted us in groups to grab essentials and clothing for the weekend,” Braticevici said. “Personally, my room was completely dry, but other people on the left side had water up to their ankles. Their whole room was flooded.” 

Although Braticevici’s belongings were not damaged, some first-year residents experienced varying levels of damage as a result of the flooding. He is currently staying in a single room in Zeppos College following the incident. 

“Overall, I think that Vanderbilt handled the situation very well. They were speedy with the evacuation, and within six hours they gave us accommodation, along with people to help us gather property and help us move,” Braticevici said. “Additionally, Vanderbilt was very quick to call the cleanup crew in an attempt to restore West House.”