Most often they occur infrequently. Communities may go years or decades without being struck by a major event. However, when a natural disaster hits a community the devastation that follows unveils a few certain realities. Everyone wants things to be brought back to “normal” immediately, rental companies must be at the ready with specialized equipment; and company employees face long hours.
These were some of the lessons learned by many upper Midwest citizens and Des Moines, Iowa-based Star Equipment Ltd. during last year's “Great Flood” along the Cedar and Iowa rivers. Large swaths of communities were swallowed by floodwaters that reached nearly 20 feet beyond flood stages in some areas.
Homes, city infrastructure, universities and businesses alike were infiltrated by polluted river water. In some areas, structures outside of the 500-year floodplain were not spared. “They called it a 500-year flood in Waterloo,” recalls Ken Klenk, branch manager for Star Equipment Ltd. “We were getting equipment calls from all sectors — public, private and commercial.”
The cruelty of flood damage is that it occurs slowly with waters consuming buildings over a long period of time. Dissecting the communities of Coralville and Iowa City, the Iowa River crested 9 feet above flood stage, and it remained above flood level for weeks. “Water flooded the first floor of our hotel for nearly 10 days,” says Joe Minard, owner of the Heartland Inn in Coralville.
While flooding occurs in slow motion, cleanup efforts must begin immediately and be carried out quickly in order to prevent illness and further water damage to structures. This had Star Equipment and other area rental companies scrambling to meet the spike in demand for equipment.
Even before the rivers crested, rental centers were getting calls for pumps and related accessories, generators, and track and skid-steer loaders. “Pumps were in especially high demand, since they were needed by both our residential and commercial customers,” says Klenk. “We brought in equipment from our western Iowa branches that weren't dealing with the floods, and we turned to nearby equipment manufacturer warehouses to help supply equipment demand.”
Natural disasters avail some often overlooked opportunities for rental companies. “These large-loss restoration projects bring a huge equipment demand and a corresponding capital investment,” says Ed Jaroszewicz, director of climate control equipment for Wacker Neuson.
Emergency restorers and reconstruction companies separate the specialty large-loss contractors from a local water damage contractor. “Rental companies that develop relationships with these specialty contractors prior to a large-loss event will be in the preferred position to meet their large equipment requirements,” Jaroszewicz adds.
Adversity came in many forms for Star Equipment during this event. Not only were employees working nonstop to supply demand, but they had their own battles with flooding. “The floodwaters nearly reached our building, so we were sandbagging while shipping out equipment,” says Klenk. “One of our employees was also working to save his house from flooding, and we were putting in 20-hour days during the heart of the flooding.”
As the floodwaters receded, the calls changed from traditional to more specialized drying and restoration type equipment. One call came from Minard, a longtime contractor customer of Star Equipment who also owns a chain of Heartland Inns in Iowa. This prompted the rental company to test a new type of technology from Wacker Neuson Climate Control to quickly dry the first floor of the flooded Coralville Heartland Inn.
Reserved for restoration
This Heartland Inn sits at one foot above the 100-year floodplain, but its elevation meant nothing as the swollen Iowa River seeped into 30 percent of the hotel's rooms. “There was 3.5 to 4.5 feet of water throughout the entire 25,450-square-foot first floor, which included 55 guest rooms, two elevator shafts, a pool, lobby and meeting room,” says Mike Hambly, president of restoration contracting company Dream Steam Carpet Clean Inc., the company that restored the flooded Heartland Inn.
Located nearby the University of Iowa, the hotel faced a major business interruption. “With Hawkeye football approaching, the fall season is one of the hotel's busiest times of the year, so Joe (Minard) wanted to quickly restore the building,” says Klenk. More importantly, quick action meant keeping water and humidity damage from migrating to the second and third floors of the hotel, causing secondary damage.
Insurance covered the contents and structural damage, but Heartland Inn had nothing to cover the loss of business, so there was a sense of urgency to get the hotel up and running again. However, the hotel had no restoration service contract for this type of damage, so Minard started from scratch to select the right restoration contractor and equipment to quickly get the job done right.
“This was the first time a natural disaster of this magnitude hit the area, and the Heartland Inn was the biggest job on the Coralville Strip,” recalls Hambly. “My heart went out to Joe, since it was an emotional time for him and he was being pressured from many contractors selling against each other's drying techniques.”
Eastern Iowa flooding kept the Des Moines, Iowa-based Dream Steam busy throughout much of the summer. While this IICRC (Institute of Inspection, Cleaning & Restoration Certified) contractor is well versed in all phases of restoration work, the sheer scope of the flooding throughout the large, honeycombed structure presented unique challenges.
Dryvection
Flooding at the Coralville Heartland Inn represented the most severe form of water damage. “There are three categories of water damage with Category 1 representing clean water like a pipe break and Category 3 signifies dirty water,” explains Hambly. “If you get to Category 1 damage quickly enough, most items can be salvaged, but with Category 3 damage, few items the water touches can be saved.”
Dream Steam took a two-pronged approach to drying the Heartland Inn. On floors two and three, they used dehumidifiers and air movers to keep the moisture from damaging any of the upper floor contents. They monitored moisture levels with readings at least twice a day to safeguard against water damage.
As an added measure, the carpeting, furniture and walls received a thorough cleaning. According to Minard, they went extra steps to ensure the cleanliness of the hotel, especially since “we are close to the University of Iowa hospital and some of our guests are visiting sick relatives and friends.”
The bulk of the intense restoration effort was focused on the first floor. Everything that was on the first floor — furniture, shower structures, toilets, light fixtures, etc. — had to be discarded. The walls were stripped down to the studs and insulation and electrical wires were removed. “We went through $18,000 worth of dumpsters,” adds Minard.
To dry the first floor and prevent additional moisture damage, Dream Steam turned to Star Equipment and Wacker Neuson for the specialized drying equipment. “Joe Heroux (district manager for Wacker Neuson) had demonstrated to us the capabilities of the Dryvex MC5200, a new type of drying equipment, and we knew this would be the right equipment for the large application,” comments Klenk.
Hambly and Sons trusted Star Equipment's recommendation. Two Dryvex MC5200 open drying systems from Wacker Neuson Climate Control were rented for structure dry-down. The units feature Dryvection Technology that uses outside air, rather than recycled air, to quickly dry flooded buildings and their contents.
“Outside air is heat-conditioned to 3 to 15 percent relative humidity, and the fresh air is blown into the structure,” says Ken Cannella, product manager for Wacker Neuson Climate Control equipment. “The dry air absorbs large quantities of moisture as it circulates throughout the building, while a second blower accelerates the drying process by extracting moisture-laden air.”
Crews installed the flexible ductwork on the outside of the structure. Inside, more than 150 air movers, including the Dryvex AM3000 models from Wacker Neuson, helped to facilitate the drying process. Crews experimented with air mover and ductwork location for optimal drying. “It was a little bit of a learning curve, but once we were properly set up, the dry-down was tremendous,” adds Klenk.
Within 10 days, Dream Steam had the structure sanitized and dried. “The MC5200s worked fast,” says Hambly. “There was a much smaller building nearby where the contractors were using a desiccant drying system. The contractors were drying the building before we started on the Heartland Inn and were still not done by the time we finished.”
Once the drying was complete and the structure passed a stringent industrial hygienist test, Minard's other company, Joe Minard Construction, completed the reconstruction phase on the first floor. On September 30, just three short months after the historic flood, renovations were finished, and the Heartland Inn was once again welcoming guests at its Coralville location.
“We were very pleased by the hard work of Dream Steam and the service received from Wacker representatives to quickly get us back in business,” Hambly says. And they were back in business quickly enough to accommodate the many Iowa Hawkeye football fans for the home games.
Rick Zettler is president of Z-Comm.
Top 10 Equipment
Here is a list of equipment that Star Equipment found most in demand during the historic flood event of 2008.
- Pumps - trash and submersible
- Generators
- Skid and track loaders - especially with skeleton grapples
- Power washers
- Drying systems such as the Dryvex MC5200
- Dehumidifiers
- Fans
- Floor preparation equipment
- Lifts
- Portable lighting
Dryvex in Xactimate
In March 2009, Xactware Solutions Inc., added the Dryvex MC5200 from Wacker Neuson into its flagship Xactimate estimating system. This critical estimating tool is the industry standard for 80 percent of insurance-repair contractors and more than 70 percent of the top 25 property insurers to calculate the cost of repairs.
After in-depth research of many Dryvex MC5200 users to determine if the machine is commonly used in the industry, Xactware added this new item to its March 1st publication. The unit is found under the heading, WTR HEATA> Heat drying - 400 kBtu - ducted air - 5200+ CFM. Additionally, the MC5200 was incorporated into the definition for this field.
“By being listed in Xactimate, there is no debate as to what insurance companies will pay a restoration contractor for equipment used in cleanup,” explains Ed Jaroszewicz, director of climate control equipment for Wacker Neuson. “This provides the value of the service provider being confident the equipment is accepted by the industry. Additionally, it gives the rental company a base for which to establish a rental rate and calculate the return on capital investment.”
