By Kirk Johannesen, The Republic
johannesen@therepublic.com
Top hospital managers trudged around in slimy, slick mud and humid, stinky hallways Tuesday to inspect the damage that 1 million cubic feet of floodwaters caused to Columbus Regional Hospital.
The site, especially of the ravaged basement, left them pausing before trying to describe the wreckage caused Saturday when Haw Creek flooded 13 to 14 feet of the hospital.
"I never would have imagined that I would have seen something with such force that ended up destroying so much," said Dave Lenart, director of facilities and materials management.
The basement, which was entirely flooded, is a total loss and has to be gutted down to the cement blocks.
Chief Executive Officer Jim Bickel said it will take months before any semblance of service could be restored.
Pharmacy, laboratory, mechanical, electrical and food services were among those housed in the basement.
The flood left these areas looking like garbage dumps. Steel doors twisted off their hinges. Office walls blew out. Ceiling tiles lay in the muck like soggy crackers in chocolate milk. Water bottles, office memos and grass could be spotted up in the ductwork.
Paint peeled off walls. Debris lay strewn on the floor, blocking access to some areas. Slimy mud covered hand railings. Exit signs and some light fixtures dangled from the ceiling.
Debris floated in the loading dock, the point where water gushed in from the north parking lot and flooded the hospital.
Water that burst through the loading dock door crashed into the storage area, twisting, turning and toppling everything from diapers to computers to storage racks.
"It doesn't even look like the same facility in the basement," Bickel said. "If not for certain landmarks down there, I wouldn't even recognize it."
Community's loss
The hospital's first floor was in better shape.
That's where about 100 workers from Paul Davis Restoration in Ohio focused their efforts.
They cut out drywall 2 feet up from the floor to prevent mold from spreading higher. Floodwater had covered 6 to 8 inches of the first floor.
Carpeting was ripped out; insulation removed; and furniture hauled away. The restoration workers walked along mud-caked halls, strategically placing 4-foot high metal dehumidifiers. The first floor looked like a ghost town.
Half-eaten meals remained on trays.
Clocks stopped just short of 1:30 p.m.
Emergency department rooms were dark and quiet.
Lenart said structural and electrical inspections are occurring in some parts of the hospital, while cleanup continues in others.
Engineers, architects and insurance adjusters are conducting inspections to get estimates on damage and rebuilding costs, and time frames for the work.
Costly equipment awaits inspection by vendors to determine if it can be salvaged.
"I have never been to this level of tragedy before. We lost something the community needs right now," Lenart said.
"Now we're just going to have to find a way to make it better."