RICHMOND, Ky. (WKYT) – An Eastern Kentucky University dorm building flooded over the weekend after a sprinkler pipe burst.

The water damage resulted in significant water damage on several floors of Clay Hall.

“Everyone was running down the stairs, the water was pouring down the stairs,” said Alexus McKibben, a freshman at EKU. “I felt like I was in the movie Titanic.”

McKibben said she has done relatively well for herself, but she said she feels for others who have not been so fortunate.

“Being alone in this hall without other people is just an unsettling feeling,” she said.

Residence hall staff say they are ready to help students cope with all the sudden changes.

“If I lived here, I would be a little unsettled and upset too,” said Sydney Giles, a dorm coordinator. “I understand that, I get it, it’s like I live here too, so I understand the impact that it has.”

Andrew Taylor, a resident assistant, said he is focused on easing the concerns of his group of residents, who are mostly freshmen.

“I also try to remind residents who are no longer living on my floor that I am still there as a resource for them and that they can contact me and talk to me at any time,” he said.

The school said it is working to provide students with essentials for school while they are housed elsewhere on campus.

“They are rolling out the maroon carpet for students and will assist them and make sure they have the resources they need to be academically successful this semester,” said Bryan Makinen, EKU’s chief campus operations officer.

A sophomore in the building had some advice for her fellow EKU students moving into college for the first time.

“I’m an artist and have been for many years, and that’s a big thing you learn about your art: Maybe it doesn’t look so good at first, but once you get going, you just have to trust the process, and I think that’s true of everything in life,” says Mikayla Spencer, a sophomore at EKU.

The university has not yet announced a specific timeline for when Clay Hall will return to normal.

Students who need additional assistance are encouraged to contact their residence hall coordinator. The school said the deadline to change courses for the semester has been extended to the first full week of classes while students focus on their housing situation.

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