Hurricane Ike Build-Back - E. Cullen and Athletics
One year following Hurricane Ike,
two UH areas have weathered the
storm. For instance, the south side
of E. Cullen�s basement sustained
water damage due to flooding from a
stopped up drain. The impact caused
ceiling tiles to fall and litter the
floor and also created water puddles
on the
carpet. In addition, the fifth floor
experienced leaking due to roof
damage. At the time, Information
Technology offices were displaced
and temporarily relocated to other
areas.
According to Christa Howard, project
manager in Facilities Planning and
Construction, numerous repairs were
made to restore the areas to
previous conditions. �We removed all
sheetrock up to four feet from the
floor, we removed carpet, and in
some suites we replaced carpet, but
in the larger suites we stained the
concrete slab because we were having
some flooding issues after the
hurricane and we didn�t want to go
back in to re-carpet. We also
repainted.� Suite 502, E. Cullen is the last
office that needs repair and work
will begin in that area once roof
repairs have ended.
When it comes to the Athletics
Department, several locations in the
Athletics/Alumni building suffered
water damage: the auditorium, where
the football team meets to watch videos
of previous games, practice turf,
outdoor track, baseball and softball
fields, press boxes, and some locker
rooms.
Additionally, �We used a lot of
Plant Operations� in-house shops to
help repair and restore and that
helped save money.� Several other
vendors and UH staff assisted in the
repair efforts which helped to make
the process run smoother. Howard
said working with the Athletics
facilities team also proved to be an
asset. �Athletics is really good and
we worked really closely.�
Currently, Athletic repairs are 100%
complete.
In looking back on Ike and how the
build-back was managed, Howard said,
�I think (knock on wood), if we were
hit by another hurricane, I�ve seen
the new measures the departments put
in place, and I think we could
respond with more knowledge than we
had before, and be able to get in
and out and get the projects done
faster. And hopefully, now that
the roof repairs are done, they will
hold up during the next storm and we
won�t have as much damage.�