Rainy day - outside and inside

Today is the second day of Purim - a holiday, in which the children are on vacation. The university operated in a limited capacity (as a weekend day). Nonetheless, some of us continued working. The strong rainy spell of the last few days brought over 200mm of precipitation in the Jerusalem area, and throughout the day there spells of harsh rain.

After lunch I got a call from Ariel who was in the lab (working with Ariel from Merkel on the HyperCyt) that there was a leak in the cold room that we share with other labs on the floor. I immediatly worried that the leak was due to some work on our renovations (as the cold room is neighboring the renovated lab). I came over, and Ariel and Sebastian (our neighboring PI) showed me the source of the leak --- behind the cold room there is a pier that runs pipes from our floor to the top floors. The whole pier was dripping with water running all along the walls. By the time I got there Ariel already called security to let them know, and I called again to verify that they are sending plumbers to the scene.

The pictures did not manage to capture the immense flow of water.

The two temperture rooms next to the pier had puddles on the floor and leaking wall.

I went up to the fourth floor and there the rooms were closed, but the corridor was one big puddle.

In our own lab there was a little leak from the pier, but no real damage. It was a reminder of the fragility of the building. It is hard to tell whether this is due to condition of the systems or just unlucky break - I guess all building new and old suffer from problems, but older ones are more susceptible.