Contact: Sid Salter
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Record cold temperatures produced by the arctic cold front that descended on Mississippi earlier this week also produced substantial water damage to at least three Mississippi State University residence halls, university officials confirmed late Tuesday afternoon.
The most extensive damage was reported in Ruby Hall in Zacharias Village on the north side of the campus. Ruby Hall, opened in 2005, housed some 412 students. The damage came from a ruptured fire suppression system water pipe on the third floor of the building's "B" wing, which housed male students. About half of the Ruby "B" wing residents were student athletes.
Other residence halls impacted by water pipe ruptures in the fire suppression system included Oak Hall and Magnolia Hall, the two newest housing facilities on the MSU campus. "The damage in all three residence halls was very substantial," MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter said.
"We are still assessing damage on the campus and that assessment will likely continue until temperatures climb above the freezing mark," said Salter. "These state-of-the-art fire suppression systems have not been subjected to temperatures this low in the life of these buildings."
"We expect that as many as 450 of the 4,000 students MSU regularly houses in our residence hall system will be impacted by this event, and the university's top priority is their safety," said Salter. "The university has already implemented a comprehensive effort to secure the affected buildings and protect the property of our students."
Salter said MSU's Department of Housing and Residence Life will be assisting students impacted by the weather-related damage as they transition to other housing opportunities both on and off campus. Students who are residents of those facilities are urged to call 662-325-3555 or email housing@saffairs.msstate.edu for additional information.
For more information on Mississippi State University, visit www.msstate.edu.