After the Rain, Harvard Begins To Dry Itself Out

The soggy Harvard community wrung out, mopped up and towelled off yesterday in the aftermath of the weekend's ferocious winds and rain.

Harvard maintenance officials and students alike struggled to stay dry through flooding so severe that Gov. William F. Weld '66 and Lt. Gov. A. Paul Cellucci declared a state of emergency yesterday.

"Public safety and works officials will continue to work around the clock to keep our roads and neighborhoods as dry and safe as possible," Cellucci said in a statement.

The storm caused the most dislocation at Winthrop House, where the dining hall was flooded Sunday, forcing more than 400 students and tutors to eat elsewhere.

The dining hall was not scheduled to reopen until this morning.

As a result of the storm's heavy winds, students in Adams House went without power from 1 a.m. until nearly 5 a.m.

The Yard was also battered by severe flooding.

The large pool of water in the middle of the Yard through which students reluctantly waded yesterday received special attention by facilities maintenance crews.

"When storms come through, the falling leaves clog the drains. So every hour we cleaned the drain," said Merle A. Bicknell, manager of Harvard Yard.

Half the basement of Phillips Brooks House was flooded by between two and four inches of water, forcing the public service organization to shut down its computer facilities.

"Our members, particularly our building manager, Bob Kelly, have been working well into the night cleaning up," said Andrew J. Ehrlich '96-'97, president of Phillips Brooks House Association, which occupies most of Phillips Brooks House.

The basement of Thayer was also inundated, threatening the Harvard Model Congress (HMC) computers located there.

According to Larry J. Lee '97, co-president of HMC, there were no significant losses, although HMC computers were damaged by flooding over the summer.

Sever Hall, Boylston Hall, Lamont Library and the Freshman Dean's Office were all flooded as well, Bicknell said.

Most houses reported flooding in their basements, keeping clean-up crews scrambling to remove the water.

"We had a little water in the basement, but no real damage," said Gene G. Ketelhohn, Cabot House Superintendent. "There were even a few brave souls lifting weights in the basement in bare feet."

Some student rooms fared much worse, however.

Lowell House resident Jennifer K. Little '99 said her roommate woke yesterday to icy water dripping on her face.

"Our room still smells like wet plaster. We've been trying to get help, but the authorities haven't sent anyone yet," she said.

The storm forced Dunster House resident Rebecca J. Lowenhaupt '99 to rearrange her room.

"Right in the middle of our bedroom ceiling there's a big old leak," she said. "We used four buckets to collect the dripping water and even had to move our beds into the common room. Little did we know that our common room ceiling started leaking too."

The Dunster House superintendent was more optimistic about the situation.

"We had some water to pick up, but compared to other areas, we were pretty fortunate," said H. Joseph O'Connor

Most houses reported flooding in their basements, keeping clean-up crews scrambling to remove the water.

"We had a little water in the basement, but no real damage," said Gene G. Ketelhohn, Cabot House Superintendent. "There were even a few brave souls lifting weights in the basement in bare feet."

Some student rooms fared much worse, however.

Lowell House resident Jennifer K. Little '99 said her roommate woke yesterday to icy water dripping on her face.

"Our room still smells like wet plaster. We've been trying to get help, but the authorities haven't sent anyone yet," she said.

The storm forced Dunster House resident Rebecca J. Lowenhaupt '99 to rearrange her room.

"Right in the middle of our bedroom ceiling there's a big old leak," she said. "We used four buckets to collect the dripping water and even had to move our beds into the common room. Little did we know that our common room ceiling started leaking too."

The Dunster House superintendent was more optimistic about the situation.

"We had some water to pick up, but compared to other areas, we were pretty fortunate," said H. Joseph O'Connor