Heavy rainfall earlier this month caused flooding in multiple buildings at Delta College, prompting at least one classroom relocation and affecting several offices, according to college officials.
Director of marketing and communications Alex Breitler said exceptionally wet conditions on Tuesday, Feb. 17 led to drainage problems in the Budd, Holt and Locke buildings.
In Holt and Locke, malfunctioning drains were the cause.
“In Holt the third floor drain was cracked which caused flooding on the second floor,” Breitler said. “The drains have been fixed, so that should help alleviate future flooding in Holt and Locke.”
One classroom in Locke was affected and instruction was relocated, Breitler said. No equipment was damaged aside from carpet replacement, and no other classrooms in that building were impacted.
A number of offices in multiple buildings also experienced flooding, though the college is not aware of damaged equipment in those spaces.
In Budd, the issue was not a drain but the slope of a walkway that caused water to pool against the building during heavy rain, Breitler said.
Breitler said the flooding was not related to the ongoing HVAC issues that have affected campus operations in recent weeks.
Facilities Manager Stacy Pinola did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
In Holt, Professor Aaron Garner said he was informed Tuesday, Feb. 23, that his classroom, Holt 317, had sustained damage to carpet and part of a wall. His class was relocated to Holt 113 and is expected to remain there for three to four weeks.
“It hasn’t impacted us at all. We moved to a comparable room,” Garner said.
Some music students, however, said the disruption added to recent challenges caused by heating problems earlier this month, which led to the cancellation of the department’s annual Choir Festival.
The festival brings high school students to campus and serves as a recruitment event for the music program. Students said they had been preparing for weeks before it was called off shortly before it was scheduled to begin.
Music major Irene Calimlim said her music theory class was moved from Holt 317 to the second-floor choir room, which lacks desks.
“It’s a music theory class, so it is good to have desks to be able to write and take notes,” Calimlim said. “We haven’t heard anything other than that there was flooding in Holt.”
Music major Aubrey Bristow said students were notified of the classroom relocation by their professor rather than through a campuswide communication.
“For music students who come to in-person classes, it isn’t as simple as just having online class,” Bristow said. “We rely on being able to connect with our peers. We need rehearsal time in order to be prepared.”
