Boston University students living in on-campus residences, including those in South Campus and along Bay State Road, have experienced mild to extreme room damage following Boston’s recent historic snowfall.
Matt Crowley, a South Campus resident, said he has seen some damage and expressed concerns for student safety.
“A few of my friends are genuinely worried that their roof is going to cave in from the snow,” wrote Crowley, a junior in the College of Communication, in an email. “I thought it was a bit silly, but I saw one basement that was significantly damaged by the storm. The roof looked straight-up dangerous.”
As of Wednesday, Boston has received 96.3 inches of snowfall in the 2014-15 winter season, according to weather.com. This is equivalent to the snow total from winter of 1993-94 and only 11.3 inches less than the city’s all-time snowfall record of 107.6 inches. The month of February alone has seen 59.1 inches of snow, making it Boston’s snowiest month on record.
In an email to the student body Friday, Woodrow Freese, associate director of Residence Life, assured students that BU has been ardently working to rectify the damage.
“The Facilities Management & Planning team has been working around the clock to clear snow and to make repairs to buildings experiencing weather-related challenges,” he wrote in the email. “FM&P crewmembers are working diligently in difficult conditions to provide short-term and long-term solutions to weather-related damages. In some cases, dispatch decisions are made in an ‘emergency room’ format.”
Freese said he is appreciative of the work BU Facilities has done around campus following the weather damage.
“I am incredibly proud of the time, effort and energy that the Facilities Management & Planning staff has invested in taking care of Boston University students,” he wrote in the email. “Thank you for your patience and understanding when waiting for assistance.”
BU spokesman Colin Riley shared a similar appreciation for the perseverance of BU Facilities. He said it is difficult to estimate the extent of the damage and the number of students affected thus far.
“People are frustrated because Boston University is working to help everyone,” he said.
BU has been using a large crane to remove snow off the roof of Agganis Arena, Riley said.
Another South Campus resident, Annie Darst, a COM sophomore, said the worst damage she has heard of is power outages due to the storms. She said the damage to her apartment has been minor.
“[There is] a little leaking but not really anything else,” she said. “Just leaking.”
Shannon Keane, a junior in the School of Education, and Elizabeth Moretto, a COM junior, live together on the top floor of a Bay State Road brownstone and said there has been a serious leak in their ceiling following the record-breaking storm.
“[Facilities management] put a plastic tarp on our roof, and they took our light out,” Keane said. “They’ve been here a lot, and we’ve talked to them a bunch of times.”
Keane also said the SED building has been continually plagued by water damage, while Moretto said the worst damage she had heard about was busted pipes and leaking roofs in the brownstones on Bay State Road.
“The Facilities guy said they were having problems in every residence across Bay State,” Moretto said.
Riley said the BU Facilities team is trying to plan ahead to prepare for more snow and other potential dangers associated with the winter weather.
“It’s a very overwhelming situation for everyone,” he said. “It’s very important that people make sure they are being careful and take the weather seriously. It is dangerous driving and walking around the city.”
