
On January 7, several pipes had burst at once, spilling out into the breezeway of Phase III Apartment Building 162. The peaceful breezeways of Phase III were suddenly awash and the sound of rushing water drowned out the students walking and interacting with friends.
Immediately, students were alarmed as water rushed towards their dorms. Steam emanated from the quickly pooling water; what has been confirmed by FAMU Emergency Maintenance crew to be hot water, posing an additional hazard.
Students began to panic as they shared images with the Phase III GroupMe, detailing the destruction.
Amarayah Denson, a health informatics student who is currently residing in Palmetto Phase, describes that this incident was not isolated and that other issues had impacted Phase III throughout the year.
“Many people don’t know that Phase has been dealing with water issues since the beginning of school in August,” Denson said. “The Housing staff told us that maintenance was going to come out and fix the issue permanently, but about a week after that, the problems came back.”
On the day of the incident, Denson was not fully aware of the increasingly rapid flooding until she attempted to leave her room.
“I stepped outside to see what resembled a rainstorm happening right outside my door; this flooding continued for at least 30 minutes,” Denson said.

The Phase III residents were told by Resident Advisor, Tavyon Ashley to evacuate the dormitory. Due to the doorways being obstructed by the flooding, students struggled to exit their rooms.
“We were told to evacuate, but some people were stuck in their rooms because the flood was above them,” Denson said.
Denson sent a message in the “Phase III Residents” GroupMe, expressing her frustrations with the situation, and received many “emoji” reactions from students who appeared to support her statements.
The message details much of what she’s experienced, including the fact that the issue has been ongoing.
She then explained how the hot water was out following the restoration of the water after the pipes burst. Denson also mentioned some discontent with upper housing management.
“I think our immediate staff, like the RAs and Ms. Gwinn, has been very responsive,” Denson said. “As far as the higher-ups or the Resident Director or their bosses, I feel we should have heard a message from them.”
Although unable to receive comment from the Resident Director of Phase III, Nigeria Gwinn. The FAMUAN received an email from Herbert Johnson, the director of University housing in response to requests for comment.
“…around 5pm the main pipeline in Phase 3 Apartments building 162 burst,” Johnson said. “Within 15 minutes a coordinated effort was initiated, involving plant operations and maintenance, housing department administration, and the environmental health & safety team.”
Johnson continued to describe the impact that the pipe bust had on water access in Phase III.
“While water was restored to both buildings, hot water in Building 162 was not immediately available due to ongoing repairs, which were completed by 11 p.m. The repairs required a six-hour drying and settling period before hot water could flow. Hot water was fully restored by 7:30 a.m. the following morning.”
Johnson emphasized that students were provided with “regular updates” throughout the situation.