Emergency/Disaster Response Case Studies
Florida Hurricane Recovery
During cleanup and recovery efforts associated with four hurricanes that hit Florida during 2004, LVI rapidly mobilized a workforce that ultimately exceeded 1,200 trained laborers.
Clients included West Florida Hospital and Martin, Escambia, Charlotte and St. Lucie counties.
LVI moved aggressively to redeploy a trained workforce, equipment, building materials, administrative staff and health and safety resources to the area.
Employees from its Tampa office, as well as offices in Colorado, Maryland, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas, were dispatched and the teams and worked out of LVI’s newly established command centers located near Fort Myers, Stuart and Pensacola.
The ability to bring all of these resources together was a result of LVI’s unique operating model and experience in responding to Tropical Storm Allison in Houston in 2001 and Supertyphoon Pongsona on Guam in 2002. .
Hotel, Guam
LVI Services responded to the needs of a very successful hotel/resort on the island of Guam after the 21-story facility sustained damage from Super Typhoon Pongsana. The storm, which hit the island directly and sat upon it for six hours, dropped more than 20 inches of rain and brought winds exceeding 160 miles per hour (Category 1).
LVI managers from the United States went to Guam and trained workers on the ground once they arrived. After taking precautions to limit the further spread of mold and damage, limited removal of sheetrock and other furnishings, as well as decontamination of furnishings and components not removed began on a floor-by-floor basis. Work had to proceed quickly and efficiently, as the hotel remained open and nearly fully occupied during the majority of LVI’s nearly 10 months of work.
Upon completion of the most heavily damaged guest rooms, LVI moved to the remaining rooms followed by work in the hotel kitchens, offices, storage areas, common space and meeting rooms.
The entire project was completed to the satisfaction of the client ahead of schedule.
Hurricane Katrina Cleanup
Gulf Coast region (New Orleans, LA; Gulfport, MS)
During the initial cleanup along the Gulf Coast after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, LVI had approximately 2,150 workers on the ground in the Gulf Coast region working on cleanup and restoration projects.
LVI’s work included large-scale cleanup projects at hospitals, hotels, resorts, retail outlets, municipal buildings and businesses in Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and Texas. Projects were coordinated out of the company’s Houston regional office, and from office and warehouse facilities and mobile Emergency Command Centers located throughout the affected areas, including a new 27,000-square-foot office and warehouse facility in Saint Rose, La., in support of the activities in New Orleans, and Gulfport and Biloxi, Miss. An 8,000-square-foot office/warehouse facility in Port Arthur, Texas, supported the company’s response efforts in Port Arthur and Beaumont, Texas, and Lake Charles, La., as well as surrounding areas.
The mobile centers in the field featured computers, satellite phone uplinks, bathroom facilities and biometric time keeping systems, which helped facilitate the personnel and payroll requirements of a mobile work force. The company also deployed its own diesel fuel tanker truck to keep its equipment operating. To accommodate its work force, the company used 20 mobile sleepers, located just outside New Orleans, to house 840 workers. The sleepers are equipped with their own power sources, air conditioning and heating.
Aside from the incredible amount of structural damage the areas sustained, of paramount concern to LVI was mold growth due to moisture from the rain, flooding and storm surge, a humid climate, and lack of air conditioning. LVI worked with its clients to assess the damage to their properties and devise action plans to address the problems in the order that made the most sense to prevent further property damage.
Among the projects that LVI was involved with in New Orleans was demolition and cleanup at the Superdome, including air scrubbing and restoring indoor air quality to acceptable levels. Interior demolition, cleanup and mold remediation was completed for Orleans Parish Independent School District. The company also completed demolition and removal of asbestos-containing materials from properties in St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes for the Erath Housing Authority. Mold remediation work was completed at Harrah’s Grand Casino’s Gulf Breeze Tower in Gulfport, Mississippi.
Martin County Schools, Martin County, Florida
Hurricane Frances hit Florida in early September 2004, making landfall in Martin County on the state’s southeast coast. The high winds and driving rain caused varying amounts of damage throughout the Martin County School District, based in Stuart. Schools were closed for seven days, after also being closed for one day in mid-August because of Hurricane Charley.
Three weeks later, Hurricane Jeanne took a Frances-like path through the Sunshine State, and the Martin County schools were once again in the direct line of fire. Ultimately, all 20 Martin County school buildings suffered some damage.
After consulting with other school systems hit by Hurricane Charley, the Martin County district established a “first alert” contract with LVI Services. The contract ensures rapid response in times of unscheduled need, such as natural disasters, or fires. In setting up the no-cost agreement just days before Frances hit the area, the school district provided information on its buildings and operations, and the parties agreed to pre-negotiated rates for labor and materials. The school district activated the contract immediately after the hurricane hit, allowing cleanup and recovery to begin immediately.
Martin County and LVI were very successful in prioritizing their post-storm activities and customizing their response levels. For example, cafeterias and gymnasiums were often cleaned up first because they had large open spaces to get air flowing and to use as a staging area for books and furnishings that could be dried out and salvaged. A high priority was placed on having the power restored so HVAC and ventilation systems could be used to help the drying process and prevent mold.
The prioritization of schools was based on visual inspection of damage and water intrusion. If it appeared the roofs were still intact and that water could be rapidly and efficiently extracted, damaged or saturated areas were blocked off so the rest of the school could reopen. Work on the damaged areas was done after hours to minimize disruption of the school day. A systematic approach to “moisture mapping” enabled LVI to determine where to start, which areas needed the most attention, and where cleanup efforts were most likely to be successful.
LVI mobilized a trained work force of about 300 people – from its Florida office as well as company offices from as far away as Colorado, New York and Texas – to respond to the school district’s damage. Moving and housing hundreds of workers was difficult, especially because the storms closed or washed away many roads and left millions, including many nearby hotels, without power. The lack of power also meant that backup power sources were needed for ventilation and air sampling equipment.
In the end, LVI’s partnership with Martin County Schools allowed the buildings to be tended to in a very organized and prompt manner to minimize disruption to students and teachers.