By Sophia Herndon
The University of Maryland experienced a campus-wide power outage last week, leaving some residence halls without internet, hot water and dorm accessibility.
The power outage occurred at 11:17 p.m. on Saturday, March 7, and was caused by mylar balloons entangling with Pepco power lines off campus, a spokesperson for the UMD Facilities Management said in an email to Stories Beneath the Shell.
A UMD Alert regarding the outage was sent to students on Sunday, March 8, at 12:23 a.m. That morning, power was restored, with some residence halls gaining power before others. This outage impacted card swiping systems and heating in dorms, according to the UMD campus notice.
Freshman nursing major Emily Ferguson lost power during the incident and experienced internet issues. She also lost hot water in her dorm during the outage. As of March 11, Ferguson still does not have hot water.
Facilities Management explained in the email that restoring power to all buildings at the same time “could create a large inrush of electrical current that might cause circuit breakers to trip again and lead to additional outages.” For this reason, some buildings gained power before others.
Students have experienced multiple steam and hot water outages during the spring semester. This most recent power outage didn’t have any technical connection to the outages following Winter Storm Fern.
“The university is good at sending out emails. It’s how frequently it goes out, it’s a little annoying,” Ferguson said.
Residential facilities sent an email to residents after power was restored, informing them of what to expect as building systems returned to normal, representatives from the Department of Resident Life and Department of Residential Facilities said in an email to Stories Beneath the Shell.
Ferguson thought the university responded in a timely manner, as the outage occurred in the middle of the night, and the university used its available resources.
Freshman public health science major Genevieve Weaver thought UMD’s communication with students regarding the outage was timely and efficient. Weaver said she had multiple friends living in older dorms that faced problems with air conditioning and hot water during the outage.
“After power was restored, facilities staff inspected residence halls and reset systems as needed, including elevators, heating, hot water, and other mechanical and heating equipment,” the email from the Department of Resident Life and Department of Residential Facilities noted.
Resident assistants made rounds in the residence halls during the outage, and signs were put by elevators telling residents to avoid them.
Acknowledging the efforts of UMD’s services, students are hoping for an outage-free end to the semester.
Featured Image: The intersection of Baltimore Avenue and Knox Road, where a power line issue occurred on March 7, 2026. Photo by Paige Trendell.