Campus still evaluating damage from Wednesday’s flash floods

Officials still are uncertain about the extent of the damage caused by Wednesday’s flash floods, which provoked power outages, flooded buildings, and temporarily closed off major roadways on and around campus.\nHowever, despite the surge in water, no injuries or deaths were reported in Bloomington or Monroe County, public safety officials said.\nIt will be months before the University can assess the full extent of the damage on campus, but overall it is believed to be relatively mild, said Larry Stephens, director of the IU Office of Risk Management. The Psychology Building and Memorial Stadium were the hardest hit.\nThe Psychology Building sustained both flooding and a power outage. The power outage is causing the greatest amount of concern, Linda Smith, the chair of the Psychological and Brain Sciences Department said in an e-mail. Failing laboratory equipment, especially freezers with chemicals and cell tissues, threatens research material.\nThe flooding of the sub-basement, which houses the electrical vault, is preventing workers from restoring power to the building before all the water is cleared. It is hopeful, yet uncertain, that power will be restored to the building by Monday.\nFor this reason, all classes that are normally held in the Psychology Building have been moved to other facilities.\nPart of the field at Memorial Stadium was washed away by the floods. Experts are scheduled to arrive on Tuesday to inspect the damage, Stephens said. Repairs will likely cost $50,000 to $250,000, he added.\nThe School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Complex suffered extensive flooding coupled with a power outage, but a swift response prevented any serious damage.\nWith the help of the Physical Plant and Office of Risk Management workers, cleanup was completed by 8 p.m. Wednesday, said John Pedersen, Facility Support Director of Campus Recreational Sports.\n“It’s like the old adage, many hands make light work,” he said.\nMelissa Boyken, an undergraduate in the School of HPER, said that she could not get to her car when she left work at about 5 p.m. Wednesday.\n“It was like a river in the parking lot,” she said.\nThe IU Police Department was so riddled by phone calls and traffic problems that supervisors had to call in extra officers.\nIUPD Capt. Jerry Minger said the department received around 80 emergency calls Wednesday afternoon due to the flood. Lightning strikes on buildings tripped several fire and security alarms, which only increased their workload.\n“Third Street was impassible, officers had to reroute traffic,” Minger said.\n But, the IUPD received no reports of injuries.\nSenior Bob Koyama said he watched people swimming in Jordan River, which swelled its banks with the rush of the floodwater.\n“There were people swimming in (the floodwater) just to show how deep it was,” Elly Romer said, staff member in the office of Disability Services for Students.