Last Wednesday’s heavy rain storm left the basement of the University’s Ambler Student Recreation Center flooded.

“North of the Rec Center they were working on a steam tunnel and the rain was just pouring down so quickly,” said Mary Chappell, director of recreation services. “It just travelled down the steam tunnel so quickly, it was like a river flowing on into our lower level.”

Chappell said about 50 percent of the flooring near the rock wall has already been removed. It’s possible that the entire lower level might need a floor replacement at some point, but at this point, administrators are focused on ensuring that the area is safe for people who choose to continue rock climbing.

“The wall’s safe because the water couldn’t affect the fiberglass, but with so many groups coming in and out of there, we just want to work on getting the floor up, then installed as quickly as possible,” Chappell said. “Right now, it’s running, but we might have to close it down, but we don’t know that just yet.”

Administrative staff plans to meet next week to assess the total costs of damages, which Chappell said might be costly if the whole floor does need replacing. Chappell said the overall costs would amount to much more had students not responded by directing the stream of water as it entered the facility.

“If it wasn’t for them, this whole situation would be a lot worse,” Chappell said. “They saved us a lot of damage by laying about 1,000 towels down to create a levee and keep the water from going in the wrong direction.”