Flooding in Next House temporarily relocates 28 residents
Titus Tsai ’26: “Water damage, both external and internal, has plagued Next House for multiple years”
Figure provided by Filbert Ephraim Wu ‘28.
Vivian Hir–The Tech
On Aug. 20 at around 2:15 pm, a pipe in the eastern wing of Next House’s fourth floor (4E) burst, causing significant water damage. This incident occurred following a routine building-wide water shutdown by Housing and Residential Services (HRS).
According to Ashley Kennedy, HRS Director of Communications and Marketing, the flooding did not result in any injuries. However, the flood caused 28 students from 25 rooms on the second, third, and fourth floors—less than ten percent of Next House’s over 350 residents—to relocate to other rooms in the dorm while also impacting three bathrooms. All affected rooms were on Next House’s east side.
Affected students in 4E who had checked in prior to the flooding were offered temporary rooms in Next House that day, while those who had not yet checked in were alerted on Aug. 21. Impacted residents of the second- and third-floor eastern wings (2E and 3E) were notified of room changes on Aug. 22.
Titus Tsai ’26, a 4E resident, told The Tech that he received an email regarding the incident at 4:00 pm on Aug. 20. Although Tsai did not witness the flooding, he was told that the water was ankle-deep. His room, including several cardboard boxes, was “heavily water damaged,” which included a charging strip “beyond any hope of repair.” Between spoiled food and laundry costs, the second of which MIT covered, Tsai estimated from $70 to $90 of damage from flooding. As of Aug. 28, Tsai believed that he had spent 10 to 15 hours moving items to his new room.
Despite the accommodations, Tsai found some aspects of HRS’ response insufficient. In particular, Tsai noted that although he was given a temporary room, which he used as a space to dry and store items, he was given less than 48 hours over a weekend to move all materials out of his room. Some items were also removed from his original room without Tsai’s consent, and the electricity was also turned off without his knowledge. In addition, Tsai noted that Next House had also experienced water issues from plumbing and the weather in 2023 and 2024. He said that HRS was “essentially negligent in the upkeep of the dorm” and did not provide “proactive” flood protection.
Another 4E resident, Filbert Ephraim Wu ’28, received an email regarding his room before checking in. When moving in on Aug. 23, Wu found a note on his door instructing him to transfer to another room in a different wing. Wu, who previously installed a thermometer that measures temperature and humidity in his original room, shared that “water began entering [his] room at around 2:08 pm on August 20.” Wu thanked the Next House executive team, the graduate resident advisors, and HRS for their quick response.
Next House student leadership did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication. HRS stated that contractors will dry and repair rooms until Sept. 17. Following a staggered move-in schedule, all residents are expected to return to their assigned rooms by Sept. 21.