Water Damages Coop Ceiling; Stationery Section Closed Off

A toilet overflow Thursday night in the men's bathroom of the Coop flooded the fourth floor, causing water to seep through several of the store's lower ceilings.

Water dripping from the ceiling over the first floor stationery department was detected at 7:30 a.m. Friday, said Allan E. Powell, the store's general manager.

The overflow resulted in little damage to merchandise, and employees cleaned up most of the affected areas by 11:30 a.m., Powell said. Officials have not yet determined the cost of the damage.

The stationery department was blocked off with yellow tape for several hours to avoid possible injury to customers. Customers waited while employees brought them the goods they wished to buy. Many items were also moved into the adjacent clothing department.

The merchandise beneath wet ceiling panels was immediately covered with plastic, and key goods were transferred to the third floor men's sportswear area, which was already closed for renovation. The only damaged items were stationery and reading cards, Powell said.

Both Coop President Jeremiah P. Murphy Jr. '73 and Powell said Coop officials handled the situation well.

"We had a minimization of inconvenience," Murphy said. "We tried to apologize for the disruption."

"I'm sure it impacted sales," Powell said. "But we saved ourselves from damage by reacting quickly."

Some students said the incident generated no problems.

"It seemed like they were being really considerate and helpful," said Julie K. Green '96. "I don't think the students were being inconvenienced whatsoever."

Powell said maintenance workers removed certain saturated panels of the first and second floor ceilings. He said a specialist told the Coop this would decrease the water pressure and allow the ceiling to dry.

The fourth floor accounting section and the ceiling above men's sportswear on the third floor were also damaged. Powell said there was no risk to customers because the third floor had been previously blocked off for renovation.

The section of the stationery department previously stocked with notebooks remained closed to the public yesterday. Powell said it should reopen today

Powell said maintenance workers removed certain saturated panels of the first and second floor ceilings. He said a specialist told the Coop this would decrease the water pressure and allow the ceiling to dry.

The fourth floor accounting section and the ceiling above men's sportswear on the third floor were also damaged. Powell said there was no risk to customers because the third floor had been previously blocked off for renovation.

The section of the stationery department previously stocked with notebooks remained closed to the public yesterday. Powell said it should reopen today