ECU cancels Monday and Tuesday classes due to hurricane

Monday, August 29, 2011

Tags:

nc hurricanes, hurricane irene, local/state

GREENVILLE, N.C. -- East Carolina University said Sunday that there will be no classes on Monday and Tuesday thanks to Hurricane Irene.

Spilman, one of the original 6 buildings at ECU and an administration building where the chancellor's office is housed, lost the metal sheeting from its roof in the storm.

A number of students were relocated from the upper floors in Greene residence hall after a leak when a storm drain pipe broke at the joint during Irene. About two dozen students were affected directly during the storm and were moved to the lobby.

There were also trees down on campus, flooding in roadways, and other water leaks in buildings, and some broken windows.

School leaders said none of the damage was especially severe, but they felt canceling classes was appropriate given the impact of the hurricane on the region.

ECU spokeswoman Mary Schulken said there are faculty and staff affected, as well as a lot of students coming from areas that were hit very hard by the storm.

Schulken also said closing the campus would allow repair work to proceed without having to work around traffic and to give officials time to make sure everything is safe.