On campus, students reported leaks and flooding in academic and residential buildings as well as reports of “waterfall-like” floods around the grounds. (Courtesy of Anna Nguyen for The Fordham Ram)

Six inches of record-breaking rain caused flooding across Fordham’s Rose Hill campus and the greater New York City area on Friday, leading city officials to declare a state of emergency and suspend public transportation. 

The rain led to the shutdown of major parkways, including the Hutchinson River and Bronx River. New York State Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for New York City and surrounding counties Friday morning advising New Yorkers to avoid traveling until the flash flood warning was lifted. 

On campus, students reported leaks and flooding in academic and residential buildings as well as reports of “waterfall-like” floods around the grounds. Elevator shafts in residence halls flooded, putting the lifts out of commission for the day. Students reported flooding in residence hall basements and bathrooms including Loyola Hall and Walsh Hall. 

Ram Vans continued normal service until rides were suspended by Public Safety at 7 p.m. “The University remains on a normal schedule, but members of the University community should exercise caution while walking on campus, and avoid walking near or under large trees,” said Public Safety in an email sent on Friday at 12:49 p.m.

“I think it’s actually so irresponsible and evident about how little the students’ well-being is prioritized,” said Caitlin Sweeny, FCRH ’25. “It is also so telling how far removed the administration is actually from the students.”

Students traveled through the rain to attend classes, with some professors opting to cancel instruction or move to Zoom on a case-by-case basis. 

“One of Fordham’s slogans is ‘Fordham is my school, New York is my campus,’ so if New York is our campus why are our safety regulations not adhering to the governor’s wishes?” said Sophia Luna, FCRH ’27. 

“Commuters and teachers are being put at risk and even instructed to disregard the emergency alerts sent by the state,” continued Luna. “If something were to happen to any of those individuals while trying to travel to and from Fordham, it would be in the school’s hands.”

Fordham is no stranger to flooding. After the intense rainfall following Hurricane Ida in September 2021, the campus faced damages due to flooding in Walsh Library, Queen’s Court and the McShane (formerly McGinley) Campus Center. 

“I think given the high tuition and the New York location, Fordham should be more prepared for weather like this,” said Laila Sayegh, FCRH ’27. “These types of rains are not uncommon here and you’d think they’d be better equipped to deal with it.” 

Bob Howe, associate vice president for communications, stated, “there was no damage from flooding, and no building closures. The University has made improvements to Walsh Library to reduce the risk of damage from flooding, and Facilities continues to harden campus infrastructure against severe weather.” 

Metro-North travel, including the two lines that run to Fordham’s station, and select subway lines were suspended on Friday due to flooding. These closures, coupled with intense flooding on roadways, made travel to campus extremely difficult. 

“I couldn’t make it to campus, all the roads were blocked off around my house,” said Lauren Blanc, FCRH ’27, who commutes to campus for classes. “I was literally trapped.”

Sayegh shared that her sister, Gabriella Sayegh FCRH ’24, who commutes to campus, was stuck in Yonkers for hours due to the flooding. Other students who made the commute were left traveling for extended periods of time in unsafe conditions. 

“My commute wasn’t awful because I beat the really bad flooding,” said Charlotte Luster, GSB ’27. “I saw a lot of cars stuck in the middle of the road on the Henry Hudson Parkway.” She shared that her commute home would have been three hours long due to the flooding and road closures, so Luster spent the night in a friend’s dorm. 

“I think it’s ridiculous that the school is not prioritizing safe transportation, especially for commuters and staff members, while we’re under a state of emergency,” said Olivia Schwab, GSB ’25. 

Students said that even though campus flooding is no surprise, difficult situations like this allow the campus community to come together. “Through the years, I was always so impressed with the way that residents at Fordham have reached out and provided support/shelter to commuters when the weather is bad,” said Amanda Boiano, FCRH ’25. “It just really speaks to how warm and considerate the Fordham community is.”