Residents of Villa Malibu may return from winter break to find their apartments had been flooded by a sewage backup last Friday. The flooding affected units on the first floor of building two, several of which housed Pepperdine students.
Senior Clayton Karels’ apartment experienced some of the worst of the flooding. Karels, who stayed in Malibu for break but fortunately was house-sitting last week, received a call Friday evening from building management about the situation. He returned to find staff ripping out the carpet and the parts of the walls in his first-floor bedroom.
“There was a blockage in the sewage pipes because people had flushed paper towels down the toilets. They said it had been accumulating over time,” Karels said. “It backwashed through the showers. It was disgusting.”
Villa Malibu has promised to replace the carpeting and walls, as well as damaged furniture.
“They worked through the holiday and everything. They had the plumbing back up a few hours later,” Karels said.
The repairs should be finished tomorrow, and there should be no safety or security hazards to returning residents.
Management informed one member of each affected apartment and sent an email to residents advising them to refrain from flushing paper towels down the toilet.