UI still recovering from flood
A record-breaking flood devastated portions of the University of Iowa campus and Iowa City in summer of 2008, forcing the evacuation of many buildings and causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. Three years after the grounds have dried, the UI continues to rebuild structures damaged during the catastrophic flood.
Cost of the damage
Doug True, the UI senior vice president for finance, said the UI has already completed $66 million in flood recovery work on campus, and flood recovery will continue over the next five to 10 years as buildings are planned, contracted, and built.
Officials said the recovery process is estimated to cost around $743 million, but they are taking steps to prevent future damage including moving essential equipment in the Power Plant to higher elevation, protecting pipes, and reinforcing concrete bulkheads and doors installed at tunnel entrances to provide two-way flood protection between buildings and the tunnels."Our process for recovering from the Flood of 2008 has us envisioning a new normal," said Associate Vice President for Facilities Management Don Guckert. "We are repairing and replacing our facilities in a manner that will not only offer better protection from the risk of future flooding, but has us transforming the campus to serve the needs of the next generation.”
Guckert said 2.8 million square feet of campus was affected when the river crested, but half of that space was back in service by 60 days later due to community and UI student mobilization.
Still closed
A few campus buildings and areas remain closed after the flood:
• Art Building
• Art Building West
• Hancher Auditorium
• Hawkeye Court Apartments
• Museum of Art
• Voxmann/Clapp Music Building
• IMU basement
Though UI officials continue to work through many details with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Iowa Homeland Security, they are moving ahead with the design of several flood damaged buildings — including the art studio, the school of music, and Hancher Auditorium.
Future goals
Guckert said there is always a risk of flooding on a campus near the river, but officials are in the progress of installing new 10-foot-wide sidewalks along the east and west side of the Iowa River that will act as a first line of defense against seasonal flooding, expected to be complete by the Fall 2011 semester.
Overall, officials said they hope to restore the UI campus to a condition exceeding that prior to the flood.
“It is our intent that at the end of this long road to recovery, the Arts Campus and the campus in general will be better and more engaging that it was prior to the flood," said Rod Lehnertz, facilities and management director of planning.
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