The Flood of 2018 and The Louisville Boat Club

5/30/2018 (Permalink)

For over 140 years The Louisville Boat Club has stood as one of the nations oldest organized clubs.  With all the amenities, this private club has been  home to tennis, swimming, squash, and boating enthusiasts for years.  Gazing out from the front steps of the clubhouse one can enjoy a beautiful Ohio river sunset, or pass the time watching river boat traffic flow east to west.  But life on the river can turn from serene and pleasant, to dangerous and destructive when heavy rains and flooding happen.  Such was the case when SERVPRO of East Louisville was called into assist The Louisville Boat Club, during the floods that occurred in late February 2018.

Being less than 150 yards from the Ohio River, The Louisville Boat Club has always been susceptible to flooding, and over the years the river has threatened the club many times.  On February 23^rd the Louisville Metro area received a massive amount of rainfall that caused the Ohio River to rise to historical levels. In no time The Louisville Boat Club found itself engulfed by the river. Staff members inspected the damage initially by boat, and they knew with over 12 feet of water inside the clubhouse they had a long road ahead of them.  SERVPRO of East Louisville responded on March 2^nd after the Ohio had receded, and the initial cleanup began.

SERVPRO of East Louisville arrived with our 2 Storm Trailers filled with over 70 air movers and 30 dehumidifiers. With the scope of the job being so massive SERVPRO sent 2 Project Managers, 4 Crew Chiefs, and over 40 workers to begin the process of restoring the property back to pre-flood conditions.  Since we were dealing with Category 3 water (river water) it was a must to protect the health and safety of our crew.  Each crew member was outfitted with a PPE suit which protects the body from exposure to harmful substances and material.

Once everyone was in position and had the right protective suits on we began clearing the parking lots of mud and debris.  Fire hoses that were donated from the St, Matthews Fire Dept. were used to clean  the parking lots and Bobcats were utilized to move mud and heavy material.  While crews were busy cleaning the outside of the clubhouse with pressure washers other crews were inside making 4 ft flood cuts to affected drywall and ripping out carpet and other non-salvageable materials. Dehumidifiers and air movers were set up throughout the clubhouse to insure that proper drying techniques were employed.

Crews also worked pulling affected paneling and insulation in the indoor tennis facility, pressure washed the pool house, and had to do some light demo work to the squash courts in order to restore them back to regulation.  SERVPRO of East Louisville spent over 2 weeks onsite to help restore The Louisville Boat Club back to the way it was before the floods.  With the springtime rains upon us call SERVPRO with any flooding or water issues.