The Flood of 2011: An After Action Review

The Bronxville School: 1924 or thereabouts?

With the Bronxville School poised to regain full occupancy of the building next week, Superintendent David Quattrone shared the administration's after action review of the flood: the building condition, an account of how the School prepared for Tropical Storm Irene, and some questions for the Board to consider in the future.

He recounted the decisions made after the flood of 2007, when the School was restored using water resistant materials, critical infrastructure systems were elevated above the floodplain (including a new boiler room), and key functions were relocated to the second floor.  He reported that the building performed well in this more recent storm. The building never lost power and other systems remained intact (including network and phones). The porcelain tiles and new flooring were not damaged. The major problem came from groundwater rising into the wall cavities. These walls have been dried, cleaned, and restored.

Quattrone also explained what the School did to prepare for the expected storm.  Actions included sandbagging doors, relocating vehicles, moving copy machines and other equipment to the second floor, and elevating classroom contents off the floor to desk level. In the event, the level of flooding destroyed some but not all classroom contents; high cabinets and rolling cabinets proved effective in protecting material.  He stated it would have been impractical to move all classroom contents to the second floor.

Going forward, he described some lessons learned and some issues to consider.  He mentioned the need to establish a protocol for removing wall pad in five gyms and relocating kitchen equipment on wheels. Finding a new room for the nurse's office will be considered. Replacing the floor in the main gym is another issue: there is the possibility of installing a subfloor made of recyclable materials. This subfloor would not be affected by water, which would greatly reduce the replacement cost.

His presentation can be found here.