Random Hall loses power due to Friday storm
Power outage continues for over twenty four hours
Random Hall experienced a power outage at approximately 10:45 a.m. on Friday. Power was restored at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday by Eversource Energy, which supplies electricity directly to Random.
David Friedrich, senior director of housing operations and renewal in the Division of Student Life, explained to The Tech in an email that last week’s nor’easter caused power outages in communities across the region, including Cambridge. The power lines on Windsor and State Streets near Building N52 that went down due to the nor’easter led to power outages in Random as well as other buildings in the area.
Julie Gagnon, Random’s house manager, coordinated the restoration of power. During the outage, Random was on emergency power supplied by a generator. Facilities personnel made regular visits to Random to ensure that the building’s emergency generator powered the heat and lights throughout the outage, Friedrich wrote.
“Fortunately, the backup generator in the building kept emergency lighting, heat, and hot water running — although the lack of working outlets and not having an internet connection made it an interesting time,” Jared Berezin, Random’s head of house, wrote in an email to The Tech.
MIT offered residents free meals at Maseeh’s dining hall from Friday lunch through Saturday dinner.
Some felt the power outage strengthened the sense of community in Random.
“Randomites had a nice dinner together in Maseeh on Friday night; I was pleased to see that when we were all inconvenienced we were able to enjoy each other’s company,” MJ Porzenheim ’19, Random’s external president, wrote in an email to The Tech.
Further, Berezin and his wife had lunch with students in Maseeh’s dining hall on Saturday. “It was fun seeing so many Randomites come together for a meal outside of the dorm,” Berezin wrote.
Random Hall has had similar incidents in the past — on Oct. 13, 2015, the dormitory lost power between 1:40 a.m. and 11 a.m. However, last weekend’s power outage was the first and longest since then, according to Ian Clester ’19, Random’s internal president.