University estimates $2M to repair flood damage
Elexa Broder
Issue date: 4/14/10 Section: News
4/14/10 - The flood of 2010 caused great inconveniences to many Rhode Islanders, but as far as financial burdens go, the University of Rhode Island was lucky, Dave Lavallee of the Department of Communications and Marketing said yesterday.
Lavallee said the estimated cost of damage repairs among all URI campuses is $2 million.
However, the university will not be responsible for the cost of all repairs, said Jerry Sidio, director of Facilities Services. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will reimburse a percentage of the costs to university buildings, but it is too soon to tell how much FEMA will reimburse the university, Sidio added.
The flood caused water damage to 22 academic and administrative buildings. The two most damaged buildings are Lippitt and Washburn halls, Sidio said. Repairs will prevent any further mold growth in the buildings.
An expense for which Sidio does not think the university will be reimbursed is the cost of the power outages during the storm. Lavallee said the power outage cost the university $40,000, but Sidio said it is hard to tell how much of the outage was cause by the storm and how much was coincidental.
The damage to a substation on campus was unrelated to the rain, Sidio said, and the repairs made it necessary for URI to turn off power.
Sidio said one the most affected areas on the Kingston campus is the filter room for the pools of the Tootell Aquatic Center. Equipment in the filter room, located underground and about the size of a small classroom, was damaged from water pressure. Sidio said the flood caused the equipment, connected by metal pipes, to move and the filters couldn't function correctly.
The pools themselves didn't flood, but a damaged filter room left athletic department employees unable to open the pools, which are currently shut down because the water cannot be maintained.
Because of this, the university has had to cancel or postpone a number of programs until temporary repairs happen, Sidio said. He added that along with a loss of revenue, the closing of the pool was a significant inconvenience to students and community members who use the pools.
Lavallee said the estimated cost of damage repairs among all URI campuses is $2 million.
However, the university will not be responsible for the cost of all repairs, said Jerry Sidio, director of Facilities Services. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will reimburse a percentage of the costs to university buildings, but it is too soon to tell how much FEMA will reimburse the university, Sidio added.
The flood caused water damage to 22 academic and administrative buildings. The two most damaged buildings are Lippitt and Washburn halls, Sidio said. Repairs will prevent any further mold growth in the buildings.
An expense for which Sidio does not think the university will be reimbursed is the cost of the power outages during the storm. Lavallee said the power outage cost the university $40,000, but Sidio said it is hard to tell how much of the outage was cause by the storm and how much was coincidental.
The damage to a substation on campus was unrelated to the rain, Sidio said, and the repairs made it necessary for URI to turn off power.
Sidio said one the most affected areas on the Kingston campus is the filter room for the pools of the Tootell Aquatic Center. Equipment in the filter room, located underground and about the size of a small classroom, was damaged from water pressure. Sidio said the flood caused the equipment, connected by metal pipes, to move and the filters couldn't function correctly.
The pools themselves didn't flood, but a damaged filter room left athletic department employees unable to open the pools, which are currently shut down because the water cannot be maintained.
Because of this, the university has had to cancel or postpone a number of programs until temporary repairs happen, Sidio said. He added that along with a loss of revenue, the closing of the pool was a significant inconvenience to students and community members who use the pools.
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Andrew Harwood
posted 4/15/10 @ 12:07 AM EST
I had no idea the damage was so extensive. Fully understand why so much has been canceled. Just hope that the uni can get everything back on track without too much long term damage. (Continued…)
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