When a 500-year flooding event hits a community, it affects all aspects of life. And while residents are always and should be the first priority in a rescue and recovery situation, dramatic flooding in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, area recently showed how a once-in-many-lifetimes can affect institutional and commercial facilities for a long period of time.
The resulting damage to buildings and the recovery process should remind facility managers of the importance of ensuring that their buildings are resilient enough to withstand the affects of damaging storms.
A number of instances involving institutional and commercial facilities emerged from the damaging floods in Milwaukee the evening of August 9-10, when up to 14.5 inches of rain – believed to be a state record for one weather event — turned the metro area in to a rush of waters cascading through streets as rainfall and overflow from cresting rivers also flooded basements.
The first warning signs took place during the early stages of the storm, when the Wisconsin State Fair – a popular event that attracts up to 100,000 people daily – closed early due to conditions that flooded exits and paths to parking lots. The aftermath resulted in closing the fair the following day, citing safety reasons due to the extensive damage to the grounds.
According to CBS 58 local news, The Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s production facility in Wauwatosa, a Milwaukee suburb, suffered $5 million in damage because of flood and sewage water. The theater’s sound equipment, sets, props and costumes were among the destroyed items as the Repertory tries to recover with nine weeks before the start of their performing season.
“All of our materials are floating down the river,” said a Repertory spokesperson.
Area schools are also feeling the crunch of the history-making rains. Among the facilities that experienced storm damage – in addition to many restaurants and businesses – was Wauwatosa West high school and the village’s Hart Park, as local TV station CBS 58 reported.
West’s high school suffered extensive damage to its theater, as mud was left behind from the waters that filled the pit orchestra, dressing rooms and stage.
Another area of serious flooding occurred at Hart Park, a popular local park where summer concerts are held and local high school football teams play their seasons, among other activities. The two high schools that play games there, Milwaukee Marquette and Wauwatosa East, are now scrambling to find homes for 2025 as the turf at the stadium was ruined by the floods (see photo).
The park is currently closed and storage sheds were also ruined as a result of the storm. One soccer club estimates it lost $60,000 in equipment that was stored at the park because of the flood damage, another CBS 58 report said.
Dave Lubach is the executive editor of the facilities market.
