Talking Stick - January/February 2009 - 22

FaCilities FlooD reCoverY Tulane reached out to colleagues at different schools for advice about reputable recovery companies that could take the lead and thoroughly assess all the facilities. The companies provided or selected all the manpower, equipment, and subcontractors needed for the job, and they were given an aggressive goal: to reopen the university and residence halls in 4 1/2 months. which then had to be certified by an independent company. The short timeframe made the financing for this work difficult, as Aaberg explains: “The current purchasing processes won’t work in this compressed timeline. How can purchasing be expedited to an almost instantaneous manner and still allow us to work within the state government processes and streamline things in a way designed to ensure fairness?” systems, including duct work, were replaced. To prevent the growth of mold or bacteria, antimicrobials were used in the cleaning process throughout the affected buildings. Cleaning and disinfecting the buildings was made even more difficult because rooms were still full of students’ possessions. “Things were complicated by the fact that residents had just moved into the halls prior to the hurricane, and most students left belongings in their rooms,” says Brantley. Everything needed to be removed from the rooms, whether it was university or personal property. Once the rooms had been emptied and cleaned, Brantley brought in representatives from Tulane’s Environmental Health and Safety Office, who helped identify the group that would assess indoor air quality. “They tested the buildings after everything was removed and then they resealed everything,” explains Brantley. “They tested air quality four to five times along the way to ensure air quality was acceptable.” Indoor air quality was no less of a concern at Iowa. Flood recovery specialists stripped the first floor down to the metal studs, which were then painstakingly scrubbed with toothbrushes and antimicrobials. Everything was cleaned and tested multiple times. Contractors used antimicrobial-encapsulating paint to mitigate and retard mold growth in the main floor air-handling unit. Some of the flexible ductwork was replaced, while other ductwork was cleaned and encapsulated. Once the specialists were done, housing custodial staff went through and cleaned some more. Aaberg strived to be thorough: “We walked through Mayflower with Environmental Health and Safety and entered every student room to see if there were problems. Ultimately, we only had one case of mold in the building after opening, and it was unrelated to the flood.” tHe big tHree Excess moisture is an indoor air quality concern for three reasons: 1 2 3 Microorganisms brought in during flooding may present a health hazard. These organisms can penetrate deep into soaked, porous materials and later be released into air or water. Coming in contact with air or water that contains these organisms can make you sick. High humidity and moist materials provide ideal environments for the excessive growth of microorganisms that are always present in buildings. This may result in additional health concerns such as allergic reactions. Long-term increases in (indoor) humidity can also foster the growth of dust mites. Dust mites are a major cause of allergic reactions and asthma. This information is from EPA Publication No. 402-F-93-005, Flood Cleanup: Avoiding Indoor Air Quality Problems. To view the entire document, go to www.epa.gov/iaq/pdfs/floods.pdf. Aaberg faced an even more daunting deadline; he had only 44 days to open Mayflower Hall for student occupancy. In addition to hiring experts in facilities assessment and flood recovery, they also had to hire contractors to repair critical building systems. That 44-day deadline, combined with the age of the building systems, didn’t allow enough time to build or purchase replacement mechanical parts, so many motors and other parts had to be rebuilt – including the boilers, 22 Talking STick Indoor air quality was clearly the key concern at both Iowa and Tulane. The toll of ten days of standing water in the buildings at Tulane was significant. On lower floors, rooms had to be gutted and then cleaned from floor to ceiling. In some buildings, even second-story floors needed to be gutted. Fortunately, many of the affected buildings were newer and included metal studding that, unlike wooden studs, doesn’t absorb and hold moisture. Any HVAC systems in the flooded areas were either replaced or repaired, and all first-floor mechanical

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pdfs/floods.pdf

Talking Stick - January/February 2009

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