Recovering from the Flooding of JSOM

July 8, 2021

Over the weekend of August 1, 2020, the Naveen Jindal School of Management (JSOM [Naveen Jindal School of Management] ) was flooded, and took on damage severe enough to require the closing of the west wing’s first floor. From the entryway rotunda to the lecture halls to the computer lab, water and mud covered the floors. Furniture, electronics and books were drenched. Water soaked into and rose up the walls, causing some to warp and buckle. A small pool formed inside Davidson Auditorium.

Recovery crews were brought in as soon as the damage was discovered to start pumping away the water, sweeping up the mud and drying out the building. Eventually, damaged sections of drywall and their underlying insulation had to be removed, along with sodden carpets and damaged flooring. Every piece of salvageable furniture was scrubbed clean by hand.

By September of that year, the repair work and reconstruction had begun. A large part of this effort involved replacing tiles in the restrooms and hallways. In Lecture Hall 1.107, cracked concrete had to be removed and new concrete poured in its place before any new flooring could be installed. Many rooms were given new drywall, wall base and carpeting. Damaged plumbing and electrical equipment was replaced. After a lot of hard work and about $1.6M [Million] , the inside of JSOM [Naveen Jindal School of Management] was restored in January of 2021. That March, some related concrete damage outside the entryway and a stairwell was repaired, and by April 2021 the building was fully restored.

 

< More News