400 SBU students forced out of residential halls following flood damage

September 3, 2021

East Side Dining on Sept. 2 after students were evacuated from their buildings due to flooding. Two buildings from Mendelsohn Community, Ammann and Gray Hall, have been shut down for the semester. *SARA RUBERG/THE STATESMAN*

Both Ammann and Gray residence halls in Mendelsohn Community will remain closed for the fall 2021 semester because of significant flood damage endured in the basements on Sept. 2 during Hurricane Ida, according to Stony Brook University (SBU) officials.

Residents can still be seen walking around campus with duffel bags and suitcases on Sept. 3, two days after Ida hit. Stony Brook has yet to tell them about their new room assignments for the rest of the semester. About 400 students will move.

Residents in those halls will be moved to other vacant rooms on campus. From Sept. 7 to Sept. 14, the university will aid residential relocations and moving students’ belongings to their new locations. SBU will also provide free packing supplies like boxes and tape.

Freshmen reassigned to first-year communities, like H or Roosevelt, will remain there for the rest of the semester. Those who were moved to upperclassmen housing communities will later be moved to a first-year community. Returning students that were reassigned will remain in the upperclassmen housing communities for the rest of the semester.

SBU officials closed Ammann and Gray residence halls permanently for the semester after experts determined the flooding in the basements was severe enough to need the installation of new utility equipment, including the power transformer for the buildings.

SBU officials do not believe there was any property damage to personal items. Flood damage was contained to the basements, except for a few student rooms in O’Neill.

Irving and O’Neill halls, the other two buildings in the Mendelsohn community, have been repaired and are ready for students to move back in. The buildings regained power last night and were inspected to ensure their structural safety, and working fire and security systems. However, a few rooms in Irving and O’Neill require minor repairs before residents can return to the space.

Ammann Hall housed freshmen and students in the University Scholars program. Gray Hall housed new transfer students and some returning students.