Last Saturday at 5pm, an unexpected flood hit the WIS mansion when a sprinkler went off near the advancement office on the third floor. The sprinkler ran uninterrupted for almost 30 minutes before sensors detected it, allowing water to seep through the floors to the lower levels of the building.

According to Adrienne Howard, the new Upper School Assistant to the Principal, the majority of the water eventually accumulated in Davies Hall and the basement.

To counteract the flooding, a repair crew from A-1 Flood Tech has placed ventilators and sensors in hallways and classrooms as they attempt to remove all water from the walls and floors. The purpose of the sensors is to measure the amount of water still remaining in the structure.

According to Ms. Howard, the administration’s goal is to finish almost all the water mitigation before classes start on Monday. Though there will be some painting after this, Howard stated that “everything should be good to go by the time students come back”. To prevent a similar incident from occurring again, the sensor system will be inspected to make sure that next time a sprinkler goes off, an alarm sounds immediately.

By Rosie Bradbury