Severe storms dumped over three inches of rain in an hour and caused flood throughout the basements.
The flooding was widespread enough to close El Centro until fall and caused the closure of the Main Campus for a day. Director of El Centro said that El Centro was closed due to extensive sewage damage. El Centro’s building is not owned by NEIU, NEIU rents the space from the ASPIRIA Alternative High School.
“It was up to my knees,” said senior Griff Flemming who waded through the deep waters just outside the library remarking on the amount of rain that occurred Tuesday, June 26 at 4:30 p.m. as both campuses flooded in one of the worst storms in the past four years.
Water was streaming out of electrical outlets, from cracks in walls and sprouting in small geysers coming up between the floor tiles at the main campus and took out the university’s phone system and some computer systems. Water outside the buildings was more than a foot deep in places.
Freshman Orientation was in progress at the time of the evacuation and least one individual from Summer Transition Program was taken away in an ambulance from injuries she sustained when she slipped on water from the flood. “A girl fell and was shaking and asking for an ambulance,” said Larissa Kopczak, an incoming freshman attending orientation.
“The cleanup crew came in overnight to clear the floodwater and clean the floors,” Said Director of Buildings and Grounds. This was so the school could reopen the next day.
According to the American Institute of Architects website on the procedures carpets should be immediately removed throughout the buildings. “Carpet and pad that have been soaked with flood water contain high amounts of bacteria that are hazardous to health,” the site continues. The U.S. Environment Protection Agency also states health concerns if wet materials aren’t removed. Two computer labs one in Building B and the other in the basement are both carpeted. It has not been confirmed whether the carpets have been replaced.
“The amount rain that fell is equivalent to a tropical storm or hurricane,” said WGN Weather Producer Bill Snyder. He explained that at its peak between 3:00 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. the storm dumped over three inches of rain at the rate of four inches per hour. The storm’s powerful effect was magnified due to slow moving winds in the upper atmosphere that allowed the storm to grow vertically and become a heavy rain producer.
Heat and humidity also played a big role in the intensity of the storm. Lower level winds reached 40 mph in some areas according to Snyder.
Bridget Bloom is set to start as a freshman at NEIU in the fall, “Oh yea, this is great,” said Bloom sarcastically reacting to the flooding.
Director of Buildings and Grounds Mike Caronti said that his staff worked hard to clean and sanitize the flooded areas so the school could be open the next day.
Public Safety officials cited safety and health concerns as reasons for evacuating and closing the campuses. On the main campus, in addition to water near electrical areas, sewage flowed into the basement and at least one first floor area from backed up sewers.
Chief Engineer John Murray said that there was sewage in the basements of Building D and the first floor of Building C, Independent reporters also observed dark murky water in the basement of the Classroom Building and in the Cafeteria.
This comes on the heels of a fire in the library, mercury spill in the basement of the Fine Arts building, a campus wide blackout and two closures due to large amounts of snow fall and 19-day professor strike; all occurring in the last three years.
Assistant Vice President for Facilities Ralph Zia and Chief Engineer John Murray never returned phone calls from the Independent regarding the total cost to the university as a result of the flooding.
News Editor Tom Robb contributed to this story.