University Business - August 2008 - (Page 14)

BEHIND the NEWS When the Water Recedes THE FLOODING IN IOWA IN JUNE WAS well documented in the mainstream media, showing that every natural disaster brings unique challenges and recovery requirements. Administrators at the University of Iowa were able to apply lessons learned from floods in 1993 to their current situation, allowing them to have a plan for each stage of the flooding, explains Linda Kettner, associate director of University Relations. “When there was a yellow alert, we activated our critical incident team.” They are also using this experience to find ways to mitigate damage from future floods during rebuilding and for future projects. The high water mark is visible A July 8 report to the board of regents states, “The on the wall at the Art Building University has met with representatives from the cit- West at the University of Iowa. ies of Iowa City and Coralville to begin considering the future utilization/development of the land along Iowa River and means to mitigate flood damages.” The university has both commercial and federal flood insurance, but administrators are still anticipating a gap in coverage because of insurance limits. In a preliminary report to FEMA on July 3, administrators estimated total damage resulting from the flood to be $231.75 million, with building damages accounting for $136.2 million and building content damages of $55.55 million. “We’re intent on being open for business for the fall semester,” Kettner says. Twenty buildings on campus were damaged, and at press time 18 had yet to reopen. With 250 classes still to schedule, administrators are considering renting space in the Temporary air ducts bring fresh community. Fortunately, the main residence hall, air into the Iowa Memorial Union. the Mayflower, should be ready in time to receive students. Approval is required from a number of entities before a building can be reoccupied, including UI police, facilities management, information technology services, the health protection office, and FM Global (the university’s property insurance carrier). Community members have been able to get information from a dedicated blog (uiflood2.blogspot.com), as well as a Flickr photostream (www.flickr.com/photos/uinews). Even as they dealt with issues on campus, Kettner says administrators tried to keep the community in mind. Extra volunteers were dispatched into town to help with sandbagging efforts, and extra sandbags were sent to communities downriver when the flood danger was past. Other area IHEs also provided community assistance. Wartburg College in Waverly functioned as a Red Cross shelter, helped match volunteers with assistance needs, and broadcast information on its student radio station. Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids became an emergency animal shelter, housing up to 1,000 animals at one point. —Ann McClure TIM SCHOON/THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA U Easily transform your institution’s Web site into an engaging and personalized e-recruitment tool. ActiveAdmissions powered by www.datatel.com/engagement 14 | August 2008 universitybusiness.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/uinews http://uniflood2.blogspot.com http://www.datatel.com/engagement http://universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - August 2008

University Business - August 2008
Contents
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Editor's Note
Behind the News
Sense of Place
Viewpoint
On the Hill
Future Shock
Independent Outlook
Community Colleges
Dorms of Distinction
Streamlining Admissions: Opening the Front Door
E-mail, Gmail, and Beyond
EduComm Deals a Winning Hand
What's New
End Note

University Business - August 2008