{"id":81162,"date":"2017-10-20T18:32:07","date_gmt":"2017-10-20T16:32:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=81162"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:52","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:52","slug":"we-were-suddenly-told-to-leave-the-building","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2017\/10\/20\/we-were-suddenly-told-to-leave-the-building\/","title":{"rendered":"Polak evacuated: \u201cWe were suddenly told to leave the building\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cFour men appeared on our floor and said that everyone had to vacate the building,\u201d says Health Care Management master student Amie Vroonland (23). On Thursday evening, Vroonland was on the first floor of the Polak Building when she was suddenly instructed to go outside.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t explain a thing, the only thing they told us was that we needed to leave the building as quickly as possible. They did give me time to gather my things together before I left. The fact that they didn\u2019t tell us anything did make it a bit weird. I remember a friend of mine saying: \u2018Imagine if it\u2019s someone who wants to do something dangerous\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

We presently know that the safety of the Polak Building\u2019s floor structure couldn\u2019t be guaranteed. The structural design is similar to the one used in the car park near Eindhoven Airport, which collapsed in May of this year. This led to the Executive Board\u2019s decision to evacuate the building on Erasmus Plaza.<\/p>\n

Lockers<\/h3>

\u201cIt all went pretty quickly, meaning that some students were forced to leave their belongings behind,\u201d says EUR spokesman Jacco Neleman. The University has arranged for these items to be brought to the offices of building security, where they can be picked up.<\/p>\n

But it turns out that some items haven\u2019t been removed yet. A female student walks into the guardhouse, asking for her books. She left them in one of the lockers of the Polak Building. To no avail: \u201cWe haven\u2019t cleared those out yet, unfortunately.\u201d She\u2019ll have to wait and see where things go from here.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was on the verge of tears\u201d<\/h3>

Nor do the entrepreneurs set up on Polak\u2019s ground floor know precisely what to expect. Hairdresser Lydia, who runs a salon in the building\u2019s Shopping Plaza, was forced to close up early yesterday evening. She was working on a customer when someone from Security asked her to leave the building. \u201cThat gave me a terrific scare \u2013 I was on the verge of tears. But the security staff remained very calm and were friendly. They allowed me to finish my customer\u2019s hair, after which I had time to close up and leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYesterday evening the security staff couldn\u2019t tell us what was going on. But they did put me at ease. Now we have to wait. This morning we met up with the other shop owners in the Polak Building for a cup of coffee. Knowing that the floor is in danger of collapsing, we reckon that it will take some time before we\u2019re allowed back in. We haven\u2019t been told yet what happens next.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lydia has received lots of heart-warming responses from her customers. \u201cAt least a hundred. They kept coming in, all night long. Everyone\u2019s very sympathetic and super nice. Even people who are no longer at EUR \u2013 but still get me to do their hair \u2013 have dropped a line.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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