By Rachel Zarrell

Damages to buildings on campus following the Feb. 13 flood were minor, facilities officials said.

Jack Malone, director of facilities services, said the timing of the flood made it easier for workers to execute an efficient clean up, as many workers had not left campus yet.

“We were really surprised that it flooded right at 5 p.m.,” he said. “We were lucky to have a lot of manpower around.” The flooding, which was caused by drainage problems, occurred shortly after 4 p.m., and began to seep indoors about an hour later.

To remove the rainwater from Ell, Richards, Dodge and Mugar halls, as well as their connecting hallways, Malone said some facilities workers had to clean throughout the night.

“There was a lot of water around, of course, so we got all our pumps out and our water [vacuums] and our extractors and we went right at it,” he said.

Ultimately, no buildings suffered any major damages, he said. Minor problems included mold in the tunnels, as well as damage to the kickboard at the base of some walls, which needs to be replaced after being ripped off to be dried, said Chris Bourne, vice president for student services and student government and the Curry Student Center building manager. There was also water saturation in the carpets that needed drying.

Northeastern spokesperson Fred McGrail said the exact amount of damage was unknown at press time and is unlikely to be released. Bourne said the tunnels, which held more water than any of the other flooded locations, have served as a problem in the past during heavy rainstorms.

“I don’t know to what degree or if it’s ever been as bad as this flood,” he said. Other than minor building repairs, Malone said he received no reports of computer or equipment damages. Facilities workers scrambled to move equipment to dry locations, the News reported on Feb. 14. Since the last major flooding in 1997, the facilities workers have taken actions to help prevent these emergencies, Malone said. Even more measures are in the process of being implemented.

“We’re going to meet with [the] Boston Water and Sewer Commission and review with them and investigate what they think happened,” he said. “They don’t really know what happened yet. … But we’ll be sitting down with them to see what actions we can take.”