Following unexpected flooding in Moore Hall early last week, students were relocated to Chapman Hall for the time being. 

The evacuation began suddenly, leaving students to act as quickly as possible to try and save and salvage their belongings. Despite the chaos, many students said they were grateful for the support and response among their peers as they adjusted to new living spaces. 

“I grabbed the essentials, some clothes, and toiletries before we were kicked out. Later we were allowed back in and told to grab everything we would need for a week. People were allowed in one room at a time to grab their stuff,” said Jason Creech, junior.

H also said that everyone congregated outside, nervously talking and getting periodic updates from the people going in and out.

“Once it was my turn, I tried to grab everything I would need immediately and focused on things I could easily move, as the stairs were still slick,” he said. 

Creech described that inside, poor lighting and even worse footing made the situation even more uncertain as no one knew exactly how much they had to take out and how much they could leave.

“After about 45 minutes of taking stuff out, we were rushed out of the building due to concerns about a ceiling potentially caving in,” he said. “Once I had everything packed up, I drove to Chapman where the scene was less chaotic. We picked out rooms and roommates and eventually got our room keys. Then we began the unexpected struggle of moving in for the second time this semester.”

Creech mentioned that it went fairly smooth as he only grabbed the essentials. Later that night, students received an email informing them that if they left any essentials in Moore, they could grab them the following day.

“My schedule didn’t allow me to grab anything from Moore, but luckily one of my former roommates was able to get my mini fridge and microwave,” he said. “Now that I’ve spent two nights in Chapman, it’s starting to set in that this will likely be my home for the rest of the semester. The hardest part of the whole process is trying to establish a new routine, especially this late in the semester when final projects are starting to be assigned.” 

Other students described the experience as nerve-racking but expressed relief at being safe and settled afterward.  

“I was only able to grab my essentials like clothes and toiletries, had to slosh through a lot of water and it was very nerve racking because I didn’t know if the water I was stepping through in rooms had electricity in it or not,” said Josef Flores, first-year. 

For some, the transition to Chapman Hall has been challenging but manageable. 

“It’s a terrible situation, especially for those affected by the flooding. The entire situation felt incredibly disorganized when they were trying to find us a place to live instead. While Chapman isn’t the best accommodation, I’m just glad they were able to give us a place to sleep,” said junior Franklin Melton. 

Students have begun to settle into their temporary housing as maintenance and safety assessments continue in Moore Hall. 

At this time, the College’s insurance adjusters and investigators are reviewing footage and conducting a comprehensive forensic investigation.

“Our highest priority has been the safety and well-being of our students. Acting swiftly, staff relocated those students affected to ensure minimal disruption to their routines and continued access to essential resources. Thanks to the remarkable responsiveness and teamwork of our employees, 50 students were safely relocated within hours,” said Dean of Students, Jill Adams. 

Ferrum College has not yet released additional details on the cause of the flooding or the expected timeline for repairs, and the cause of the accident is still fuzzy.

Two different, unofficial scenarios are currently circulating around campus: The first is that students were tossing a football in their room and hit the overhead sprinkler–causing the sprinkler to burst. The other is that it just happened and ruptured on its own. 

The Iron Blade will continue to update the campus community as more information becomes available.