As with residential and commercial properties, water damage in a college school brings about property damage and financial losses. The difference would be the fact that any damage to the school property or equipment would impact school activities and may create safety risks for students, faculty and other school personnel.
Certainly, water damage in a school setting would cause interruption to learning since classes held in affected rooms would have to be cancelled. If the lectures are held somewhere else, most likely the temporary facility would not be that conducive to learning.
In terms of costs, the worst-case scenario would be reconstruction of the school, which is likely to happen if massive water damage occurred but water extraction and cleanup was delayed. Another potentially devastating loss would be if the college library houses significant collections and those were damaged by water. Although there are procedures to restore wet documents and media, the process could be costly.
Water damage also puts the reputation of the school on the line. The community would look at their response to the situation and how quickly they can recover from it, since educational institutions are expected to have procedures in place for emergencies.
Preparedness and Prevention
College schools bear the responsibility of not only nurturing the minds of their students but also keeping them safe as best as they could. This is why all colleges are urged to devote proper time and adequate resources towards emergency preparedness, including preparing for water damage emergencies.
The specifics of a water damage emergency preparedness plan will vary per college but, in general, this plan will identify the actions to be taken by staff and students during an emergency whether the water damage is caused by internal factors or external and natural causes. The plan should deal with ensuring safety, communication, and procedures on evacuation.
Information about the different buildings in the campus would also have to be included, particularly maps of emergency exits and location of water valves. Additionally, the plan should identify alternative locations where instruction or critical school functions can be resumed after an emergency if the affected areas are unavailable.
A crisis response team should be formed, made up of various stakeholders from decision makers in the school to emergency responders. It is the team's responsibility to review the plan, carry out drills, and make necessary changes for improvement.
The planning phase would also be a good time to look at forming partnerships with service providers such as plumbing companies and water damage cleanup companies so that when water damage happens, a situation that is time sensitive, the college school will have quick access to professional help.
Recovering from Water Damage
For a water-damaged college school, the primary focus of recovery is resuming classes and restoring the school's functions and activities as quickly as possible. In the effort of doing so, safety must not be compromised. Staff and students may ask to go back to their respective buildings after a seemingly minor incident but affected rooms or offices must be evaluated first before allowing anyone to re-enter.
The same safety consideration must be applied even for personnel who would be tasked to clean up the facility. As mentioned above, water damage poses several threats. School personnel should be reminded not to operate any water damaged equipment or attempt to turn on the power in the building if the room where the circuit panel is had been flooded.
Because of safety risks, it is best to handle the clean up of affected areas of the school with the help of experts. Whether the school has partnered in advance with a restoration contractor or not, do not delay in calling professional help.
While technicians are on their way, the staff can do a few things (if safe to do so) to facilitate cleanup such as removing wet tables and chairs from a flooded room or laying out wet documents in another area to dry. Also, while restoration is ongoing, the school can resume critical functions in an alternative facility.