Total water damages from Saturday's storm may not meet thedeductible for The University of Memphis' state flood insurance,University officials said.
Flash floods washed over much of Memphis Saturday, causingdamage to many campus buildings. One to 2 inches of rain fell onthe city between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, according to theNational Weather Service office in Memphis.
"We are still assessing damage across campus," said JeanneSmith, Physical Plant director of business operations. "The statehas insurance for flood damages, but the deductible is $100,000 andwe don't expect damages to reach that amount."
Flooding depends on characteristics of certain terrain and rainamounts in those areas, said Doug Vogelsang, spokesperson for theNational Weather Service.
"Anytime you get that much rain in a short time period, flashflooding can occur," he said.
Cleanup efforts are still in progress, said Drew Schmitz,Physical Plant communications specialist.
"The water rose so fast and so high in places that the weightbroke some doors," Schmitz said.
Robison Hall, Smith Chemistry, the music building and the lawschool library suffered the worst water damage.
"Smith Chemistry filled up with a lot of water," said Schmitz."Environmental Health and Safety surveyed the building to ensurethat no chemicals were spilled or released during the flooding orcleanup."
U of M staff members from the Physical Plant's custodial andlandscape services, lock shop and plumbing shop participated incleanup efforts Saturday and Sunday.
"Our crews began inspection and cleanup around 7 p.m. Saturday,"said Schmitz. "We started as soon as the heaviest rains wereover."
The University's emergency restoration contractor, Belfor,assisted in the water removal and cleanup.
The drying process, which involves dehumidifiers in severalaffected buildings, will take a couple days, said Smith.
"Some floor tiling may set back down after drying," she said."We won't finish calculating damages until everything is dry."
R.O.T.C. officers in Hayden Hall experienced inconveniences fromflooding in the building's basement.
"We lost hot water when water got into the basement," said Lt.Chuck Lawrence, U of M R.O.T.C. recruiter. "They just fixed our hotwater."
University staff restored hot water to the building Tuesday.
Tuesday, U of M Police Services did not have any reports ofmotor vehicle damage or stranded motorists from Saturday'sstorm.
