Wednesday January 23, 2019, at 1:30 p.m.

As of noon Wednesday, January 23, 2019, here is the status of the clean-up from the incident in Cedar Hall:

ServiceMaster is currently on site in Cedar Hall assessing the impacted rooms. In some cases, they have been able to remove the air dryers and dehumidifiers from spaces (mainly in the hallway and common areas).

Because each room is being assessed individually, Housing and Food Services will continue to provide alternate accommodations at the Wingate at Wyndham Hotel. For now, you should plan to continue to stay at your alternate housing location. It will be important throughout the day today that you check your email and answer your phone if you are contacted, as some of you will receive notification when you can return to your space.

Our continued goal is to have students back in the building as soon as possible. Please be diligent in watching for communication from our offices for further information.

How do I secure housing for this evening?
If you are already at the Wingate at Wyndham, you don’t need to do anything. We have extended your reservation. You will need to stop by the front desk today to have your card re-programmed for tonight.

If you need accommodations for this evening, please contact the Housing and Food Services office at 814-949-5713 before 3:30 p.m. today.

If you have made alternate housing accommodations and wish to continue, please let your RAs or the Housing and Food Services Office know as soon as possible.

Do I currently have access to my room?
Yes, you can get into your room to retrieve any of your belongings that you will need during this time. It is also important for you to go to your room today to assess any of your belongings that may have gotten wet during the incident.

Laundry

• The washers and dryers are now programmed to operate for free; you can use the machines to begin caring for any of your wet belongings. Laundry detergent will be provided at no charge.
• Monarch Laundry Service – a wash and fold service – is available should your needs exceed your typical weekly load. This service is to assist students who have multiple loads, bedding, and linens that may be challenging to wash and dry.
  • The first pick up will take place today at 3:00 p.m. There will be another pick up tomorrow, January 24, at noon.
  • You can get laundry bags from the Cedar Hall lobby area. You will need to thoroughly complete the label on the bag so that we know what laundry belongs to you.
  • Please bring your filled bags back to the lobby to provide them to the company.

How will I get to campus from hotel?
Transportation to the Ivyside campus is available for free through Amtran. Just present your id+ Card to the driver. We are also exploring alternatives. The hotel front desk will have additional information this evening, including assistance with where to get on the bus for Ivyside.

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Tuesday January 22, 2019, at 4:45 p.m.

Update on Cedar Hall

We understand that you may have clothing, bedding and linens that may be wet or damp and requires laundering. For your convenience, we have arranged the following complimentary laundering options/services:

• Housing will program the laundry machines for free washing and drying starting Wednesday, January 23, 2019, mid-morning and laundry detergent will be provided at no charge.
• We will also provide Lazy Lion Laundry Service—a wash and fold service—should your needs exceed your typical weekly load. This service is to assist students who have multiple loads, bedding and linens that may be challenging to wash and dry. Specifics will follow shortly.
• If you plan on claiming damage to clothing through your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, you should inventory and/or photograph damaged clothing prior to washing or disposal.
• It is important to address wet and/or damp materials as soon as possible, so please assess your needs and let us know if you have any questions.

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact housingAA@psu.edu or 814-949-5713

The restoration company bagged items as they worked to remediate the water in your rooms. Please look through the bags carefully. Also please look carefully through your room to determine if other items that were still left in place sustained water damage.

Suggestions if you plan to file an insurance claim with your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance:

• Contact the company immediately to find out what information and/or documentation you need to provide. Many have 24/7 phone numbers to call.
• Be prepared to make an inventory of affected items.
• Take photos of your items with your phone. This will allow you to easily recall specifics and provide a reference for your documenting.

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact housingAA@psu.edu or 814-949-5713.

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Tuesday January 22, 2019, at 2:00 p.m.

Update on Cedar Hall

As of noon today, Tuesday, January 22, 2019, here is the status of the clean-up from last evening’s incident in Cedar Hall.

ServiceMaster has been on site since 10:45pm last evening, cleaning up the standing water throughout the building and placing large air dryers and dehumidifiers in each room that was affected.  It is very important this equipment continue to run until the building is thoroughly cleaned and dry.

In an effort to make sure our students are safe, it is important for us to ensure that the drying process continues for the next 24-48 hours.  Because of this direction, housing will be providing alternate accommodations at the Wingate at Wydnham Hotel. Our goal is to have students back in the building as soon as possible, we will be communicating with you as the cleanup is complete.

How do I secure housing for this evening?
If you are already at the Wingate at Wydnham, you don’t need to do anything. We have extended your reservation.

If you need accommodations for this evening, please contact the housing office at 814-949-5713 as soon as possible for accommodations

If you have made alternate housing accommodations and wish to continue, please let your RAs know as soon as possible.

Do I currently have access to my room?
Yes, you are able to get into your rooms to retrieve any of your belongings that you will need during this time.  It is also important for you to go to your room today to assess any of your belongs that may have gotten wet during the incident.   We will be sending a separate communication later today that will help you understand the claim process for damaged items.

How will I get to campus from hotel?
Transportation to the Ivyside campus is available for free through Amtran. Just present your student ID to the driver. We are also exploring alternatives.  The hotel front desk at the hotel will have additional information this evening including assistance with where to get on the bus for Ivyside.

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Monday January 21, 2019 at 11:06 p.m.

Ruptured Sprinkler Valve in Cedar Hall

A ruptured sprinkler valve in a residence hall at Penn State Altoona led to the relocation of several students.

A sprinkler in a fourth floor room in the west wing of Cedar Hall burst just after 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 21, 2019, affecting rooms on the fourth floor along with some rooms on the three floors below. Less than 60 rooms were affected.

Students living in affected rooms were offered temporary housing elsewhere on campus as well as alternative housing. Most affected students will be able to return to their rooms on Tuesday. All other students were able to return to their rooms Monday night.

Damage assessment and cleanup have already begun.

Thanks to the Housing and Food Services team, University Police, and local fire companies for their quick response.

For more information, call University Police at 814-949-5222.