Jersey Gym Underwater from Storms

FEATURED PROJECT
Daniel Fitzharris, Project Manager

The severe storm of March 13, 2010 wreaked havoc throughout the Northeast. One of the properties we helped was a prominent health club in New Jersey that took on two feet of water in the equipment room. Apparently several inches of rain were too much for the storm drains to handle and the entire lower level was underwater. Unfortunately for the fitness-minded clientele, this happened on a Sunday and the weekend work-out plans were scrapped.

Every machine, free weight and spin bike was affected by the flood. Exercise balls were floating everywhere. The aerobics studio wood floor was history. All the sheetrock walls were turned to mush by this unwelcomed indoor pool. Nothing was spared on the floor; even the locker rooms had to be gutted.

Our biggest challenge was: where to pump the water? The surrounding water table was so high from the storm that anything pumped out eventually made its way back into the structure. After two days of extraction, our emergency service crews were able to stabilize the interior and prevent more flood infiltration. The next steps were to cut the damaged drywall and rip the wood floors. If any of you have spent time in a gym, you might remember that they usually have rubber floors or mats to cushion impact and provide a stable footing. There was just one problem: all those freakin' heavy machines and weights were in the way! We needed 30 people just to move equipment in addition to the 15-person mitigation team.

Another obstacle was making sure the space was dry and clean enough for the local Department of Health to allow re-occupancy. Luckily, we were able to build a containment barrier to separate the floors so at least some people could still work out and the gym could remain partially open. The good news was, everything was either repaired or replaced in a short period of time and soon customers were back to their normal, sweaty, calorie burning routines.

Plus, you should check out the "guns" on our crew chief now...

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