A pile of loose bricks, some orange traffic cones and dried, cracked mud are the only visible signs of Thursday night’s flood at Avery Residence Hall.
For the students who were evacuated, life appears to have returned to normal, save for an off-limits laundry room.
After a water main broke at about 10 p.m. Thursday, Avery was evacuated, forcing several residents to look for alternate housing. Officials said students were permitted to reenter the building at about 2 a.m., and that the basement was the only area affected by the flooding.
About 100 students gathered across Ridge Road while UNC Department of Public Safety and Orange Water and Sewer Authority officials responded.
OWASA public affairs administrator Greg Feller said officials repaired the water main and restored service Friday at 11:30 a.m. Friday. He added that the water was deemed contaminant-free following tests.
Though many students contacted friends and family for shelter, others waited until Avery reopened.
“I had a bunch of homework, so I just grabbed it and sat on the bricks outside Carmichael until three or four in the morning,” said Crystal Dunn, who witnessed the break.
“It was pretty much a fountain,” she said. “The pavement just fell, and the bricks flew into the grass.”
At a 12:30 a.m. meeting Friday, Matt Knickman, the community director on-call, advised students to search for places to stay. He also offered them use of bathrooms in Teague and Parker residence halls.
