Hurricane damage to an eighty
bed health facility for the elderly, terminally ill, and immuno-compromised
patients in Wallace, NC. The facility was flooded when Hurricane Floyd
hit North Carolina. Floodwater reached 30" high throughout the whole
facility. An upstream sewage treatment plant flooded, and sewage from
the plant ran into this building.
Phase one was de-flooding, drying out and initial decontamination of the
whole structure to allow the safe re-building effort. Water did not
recede for two weeks and was filled with sewage, hospital medical waste,
IV feeding solution, urine bags, sharps and needles and rotted food.
Mold and mildew were everywhere.
The facility was vacant for five months while teardown/re-build vs.
restoration calculations were compared. Restoration consisted of
roofing, siding, electrical, insulation, drywall, flooring, painting,
wallpaper, HVAC, doors, cabinetry, and finish carpentry.
They were able to save the structure with extensive biohazard
containment that is too complicated for me to explain…using words I
don’t know how to pronounce.
By putting together a team of experts, they were able to meet all the
requirements of the owners and the regulatory authorities within budget
and time parameters.
