Yale dorms, some buildings lose their electricity, flood

Heavy rains from the remnants of Hurricane Ida caused the loss of power to all Yale residential colleges and some other buildings and some were flooded.

Isaac yu, Rose Horowitch & Julia Bialek

01:01, 02 Sep 2021

Staff reporters

Butter JE with two inches of standing water. Courtesy of James Richardson

As the remnants of Hurricane Ida ravaged New Haven Wednesday night through Thursday morning, Yale’s 14 residential colleges and the old campus lost power and the majority of college basements were flooded, according to reports from dozens of hosted students.

At 1:35 a.m., nearly two hours after the first report of flooding and about an hour and a half after most dormitories were cut off, the University sent out a Yale alert. The post advised students to stay in their residences unless flooding forces them to move and noted that facilities were responding.

At 1:37 a.m., power was restored to Benjamin Franklin, Ezra Stiles, Grace Hopper, Morse, Pauli Murray, Pierson and parts of the old campus.

Flooded colleges include Benjamin Franklin, Branford, Davenport, Ezra Stiles, Grace Hopper, Jonathan Edwards, Morse, Pauli Murray, Pierson, Saybrook, Silliman, Timothy Dwight. A Berkeley College student said there were puddles in the basement, while four Trumbull College students said they saw no major flooding.

New Haven received a flash flood warning from the National Weather Service just after 10 pm, currently in effect until 2:30 am. A tornado watch remains in effect for New Haven County until 1 am Thursday.

At 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday evening, David Evans, principal of Berkeley College, emailed the students warning them to seek shelter until the storm passed, likely at 12:30 a.m. Thursday. Evans explained in his email that he rarely sends out weather alerts in New Haven, but tree branches have fallen in North and South Court in recent years.

The Bass library was flooded at 11:45 p.m., according to a student video. Spaces across campus, including Jonathan Edwards Butter and the Davenport College basement, quickly followed. Students sent photos and videos of sewage in the basements of Benjamin Franklin and Silliman Colleges.

At around 12:10 a.m. Thursday, the power was cut to several residences on campus.

Meanwhile, Matthew Meyers ’24 told the News that around 12:15 a.m. students at the Bass Library were being evacuated by security guards as the water reached its upper floor.

“The floor is covered with water, and it leaks to the downstairs, and the carpet gets wet,” Meyers wrote. “You have to stand on the edge of the slabs to avoid getting your feet wet. “

Aidan Evans ’23 told the News Davenport’s basement had about an inch of water, with rain seeping through the windows. At around 12:40 a.m., the fire alarm went off in some common areas of the college, as the students were asked to return to their dormitories.

Likewise, the floor of Jonathan Edwards College’s butter factory was submerged under about two inches of water, according to James Richardson ’24, sports reporter for the News. At 12:48 a.m., the second floor of Timothy Dwight College was starting to flood, Nicholas Cerny ’24 told The News.

Some students, including Dzidedi Azumah ’23, reported that they lost fast access to Ezra Stiles’ entrances. Malcolm Keyes ’23 said Benjamin Franklin’s doors were opened by security around midnight.

Sections of the ceiling at Timothy Dwight College peeled off and fell to the floor, according to a video posted to Twitter just after 1 a.m. Thursday.

It’s a story of rupture. Check back for updates.

Update, 1:42 a.m. 9/2: This story has been updated to include new information and sources of information from students and the Yale Alert system.