Friday, January 16, 2009

FEMA Assisting in Repairs for Indiana Hospital

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released $6.93 million to help fund repairs to the Columbus Regional Hospital in Bartholomew County, Indiana.

On June 7, 2008, flood waters inundated the hospital. The entire basement, containing much of the hospital's medical and lab equipment was filled floor to ceiling with contaminated water, mud and silt. In addition, the first floor area sustained heavy damage from standing contaminated water and mud.

The hospital is a regional healthcare facility providing vital services such as surgery and emergency care for multiple counties in the southeastern portion of the state. During the course of a year, the hospital may treat more than 200,000 patients. The facility was forced to shut down as a result of the flood and did not reopen until October of 2008.

With additional funding still under review, this dollar amount is for three emergency protective measure projects undertaken in the basement and on the first floor. The work was primarily the removal of debris, and to dry, dehumidify and clean contaminated areas. The debris included mud, silt, construction and demolition materials, along with hazardous waste.

While the hospital carried insurance for the disaster, the insurance did not cover all the damage.

The total cost for the three projects is $8,686,795. FEMA's share for two of the projects was 75% for a total of $4,438,417. For the third project, FEMA funded $2,492,016 which is 90% of that project's cost. Total federal share for the three projects amounts to $6,930,433.

No comments: