What happened? 

On Monday, December 18, 2023, at approximately 2:45 p.m., there was a domestic water line coupling that failed behind a shower wall in an 8th floor unit of Howard Plaza Towers East.  Because of this incident, water began flowing along the 8th floor down to the floors beneath it. This water incident impacted approximately 60 residential units and 125 students residing in those spaces.  

The units are uninhabitable due to the water damage, and the Office of Residence Life has reassigned students to temporary housing in other residence halls so restoration work can be completed.   

How are the students being supported? 

The Office of Residence Life is committed to providing our students with a high touch approach, where our administrators, faculty, staff, and student leaders will regularly reach out to impacted students and conduct regular check-ins to support their transition to their new housing assignments. 

Where should students who are impacted go when they return to campus for the Spring semester?  

All impacted residents were provided information about their temporary housing assignment. In those communications from the Office of Residence Life, students were instructed to report to their new housing assignment and not their previous unit in Towers East. Students should meet in the lobby of their new assigned building and check in with staff at the front desk. 

Is the residence hall safe for other students to reside in?  

Yes. Howard University’s Environmental Health and Safety Department engaged an outside consultant to perform air quality tests on every floor of both Howard Towers East and Howard Towers West the week of January 1. This is the first assessment in a series of ongoing air quality tests that will be performed to assess air quality at both buildings.  The tests were performed on every floor of the building, and the air quality results were within the standard acceptable range.  As we continue these air quality tests, we will keep students and parents informed if any results are found to be outside of the acceptable range.  

Will students have access to their belongings immediately upon their return to campus for the start of the Spring semester? 

Items that were not impacted by water will be safely transported to your temporary housing assignment and made available for retrieval during the following periods: 

Friday, January 5:  P Level, 1st, 2nd floors and some unaffected units  

Monday, January 8: 3rd, 4th and 5th floors 

Wednesday, January 10: 6th, 7th and 8th floors 

Items impacted by water and taken offsite for cleaning and restoration will be available starting on or around January 19. 

As shared in communications issued the week of January 1, students temporarily reassigned have been advised to secure new room and personal hygiene supplies for their new living accommodations, including: 

• Twin-XL comforter and sheets; 

• Pillows; 

• Shower shoes/flip flops;  

• Shower caddy; 

• Personal hygiene products; 

• Towels and wash cloths; 

• Toilet tissue; and 

• Laundry supplies. 

What residence halls will students be relocated to? 

With limited housing options available, the Office of Residence Life has temporarily reassigned students to available units in the following residence halls: 

The Towers East & West, Axis, College Hall South, College Hall North, Bethune Annex, Mazza Grand Marc and WISH.  

Will students have a choice for which residence hall they prefer? 

Every effort has been made to assign students to similar accommodations to what they had at the beginning of the 2023-2024 academic year. However, due to limited housing options, we will not be able do so in all cases. Students will not be able to request specific residence halls, room type preferences or roommates.  

Who can we contact for more information?   

Students should reach out to the Office of Residence Life if they have questions regarding their new housing assignment at hureslife@howard.edu. For specific questions concerning the water incident, the cleaning and restoration of your belongings, or how to access any belongings in your unit, contact towerseastresponse@campusapts.com.  General maintenance concerns should be made directly to the property via the resident portal or via email. Escalations beyond management should be directed to housingconcerns@howard.edu. 

We were notified of the water incident the week of December 18. What work was done over Winter break in anticipation of students’ return for the Spring semester? 

Immediately after the incident's discovery, Belfor, a national restoration company, was contracted to begin the cleaning and restoration process in accordance with national standards.

What support is Howard University offering to help with this transition to temporary housing? 

Campus Apartments has secured a third-party vendor that has labeled and boxed the items left in the unit for relocation to a secured storage space in the building of your new assignment. 

Do students have to provide/verify inventory of their belongings to the University before they are retrieved?  

Campus Apartments has contracted a third-party vendor who has diligently gone through and inventoried all items that were removed impacted rooms. Therefore, students will not be required to submit an inventory of their personal belongings directly to the University or Campus Apartments. 

Who should I contact if my belongings were damaged or destroyed by the water incident? 

Students were required to have renters’ insurance as part of their agreement to live in the dorms. In communications sent the week of December 18, students were encouraged to contact their insurance provider regarding the water incident.  Students’ insurance policies will determine which items will be covered by this incident. Please contact your renter’s insurance provider to confirm what items are covered under your policy. 

What information should I have on hand (including a photo of item and value)? 

Although it may be standard for most insurance companies to request a list of damaged or stolen property, each insurance provider may have different requirements to file a claim. Please contact your provider directly for more information. 

I understand that I will receive temporary housing because of the water incident, but how long will the reassignment last?

We cannot provide an exact date for when residents can resume occupancy at the Towers.  We have been told that the timeline for the restoration work could last approximately 3-4 months. 

What residence halls will students be relocated to? 

With limited housing options available, the Office of Residence Life has temporarily reassigned students to available units in the following residence halls: 

The Towers East & West, Axis, College Hall South, College Hall North, Bethune Annex, Mazza Grand Marc and WISH.  

Will students have a choice for which residence hall they prefer? 

Every effort has been made to assign students to similar accommodations to what they had at the beginning of the 2023-2024 academic year. However, due to limited housing options, we will not be able do so in all cases.  Students will not be able to request specific residence halls, room type preferences or roommates.  

Who can we contact for more information?   

Students should reach out to the Office of Residence Life if they have questions regarding their new housing assignment at hureslife@howard.edu. For specific questions concerning the water incident, the cleaning and restoration of your belongings, or how to access any belongings in your unit, contact towerseastresponse@campusapts.com.  General maintenance concerns should be made directly to the property via the resident portal or via email. Escalations beyond management should be directed to housingconcerns@howard.edu. 

How were students notified of the water incident? 

Over winter break, Campus Apartments sent four separate emails to the residents in the affected units, providing them with updates of the incident and the restoration process.  

Additionally, Howard University’s Office of Residence Life sent an email to students with information about their temporary housing assignment.   

We have also prepared communications for all residents of both Towers East and Towers West about the restoration work at Towers East and unrelated ongoing power system work in both East and West Towers.   

How could other students be indirectly impacted (i.e. ventilation)? 

Only students whose units were impacted by water damage or are in a work zone will be temporarily reassigned. However, because the building power systems at both Towers East and Towers West were disabled over the Winter break due to an unrelated electrical station upgrade project, this work required the buildings’ systems, including internal air circulation, to be taken offline. This resulted in decreased air circulation within the building, which caused an odor to emit from the water-damaged items in the impacted areas.  

Now that the power has been restored, we have been actively working to deodorize the building during the cleaning process and are optimistic that the building will be free of any stale or stuffy odors when students return.   

What work is being done to prevent this incident from resulting in a mold issue?

Belfor has been contracted to restore property damaged by this incident. This ensures the proper remediation process is used to mitigate the current water intrusion, guaranteeing a professional quality of service as Belfor specializes in mold removal, water damage, fire damage, storm cleanup and COVID-19 cleaning. 

What is involved in the cleanup process (i.e., carpet removal, sanitization, painting, furniture replacement)?

For more details related to the remediation and restoration process, please visit: www.belfor.com/en/us/water/dehumidification.