Flood Clean up to Cost $5 Million
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MONDAY The Voice of Hawai‘i November 8, 2004 Inside News 2 Opinions 4 Comics | Crossword 6 Features 7 Ka Leo O Hawai‘i Sports 3,8 VOL. XCIX ISSUE 54 THE UnivERSITY of HAWAI‘I AT MANO¯ A www.kaleo.org Flood clean up to cost $5 million By Alexandre Da Silva shouldn’t stall progress because all Ka Leo Assistant Editor four buildings will be sealed to pre- vent moisture infiltration before they Cleaning up and drying four are dehumidified at a cost of $1.75 flood-damaged buildings at the million. Wet materials will be frozen University of Hawai‘i at Manoa and later melted through a special could take over a month and cost process that prevents deterioration upwards of $5 million, a disaster and helps remove mold. recovery company hired by the uni- The company will bring in sev- versity to do the job announced on eral dehumidifiers 10 feet by 10 feet Friday. and generators that can be wheeled Officials with BMS Catastrophe, near buildings. a Ft. Worth, Texas-based company BMS CAT will prepare the that helped with clean up of the buildings for any needed repair or Pentagon after the 9/11 attacks and reconstruction. Cost of full restora- in areas hit by the recent string tion would be gradually known as of hurricanes in Florida, said they workers survey the buildings. would fly in about two to three “There’s a lot of dirt and debris planeloads of equipment beginning left, and it needs to be sanitized,” said Friday night to clean up and dry Draney, who estimated the entire job UH’s Hamilton Library, Biomedical could last up to 45 days. “It’s going Science, Sherman Laboratories and to be an area by area review.” Agriculture Sciences buildings. BMS CAT, which specializes All four buildings and their in human-made or natural disaster contents were significantly damaged recovery with 13 response centers when heavy rains flooded parts of the nationwide, contacted UH to offer UH Manoa Campus last weekend. their services when it learned of Power outages forced the cancella- the flood. UH, which was exempt tion of all classes for two days and from the bidding process, contacted the relocation of others to buildings another mainland firm, but the job TIMOTHY PINAULT • Ka Leo O Hawai‘i with power once classes resumed went to BMS CAT, according to UH Thursday. officials. Tim Draney (right), the senior vice president for the disaster recovery company BMS Catastrophe, estimated at a press “Millions of dollars are at UH expects a $25 million flood conference that cleaning up four buildings hit by a flood at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa could take 30-45 days. stake,” said Tim Draney, the compa- insurance to cover the costs, with ny’s senior vice president of market- the state paying for a three per- maintained,” he said. books that are at Hamilton’s second return them or renew their renting ing and sales, referring to historical cent deductible of the total expens- Administrators have not brought and fourth floors. period at Sinclair. Kaanapu also records, books, research materials es. Administrators on Friday and experiments that will need to be brought a group of lawmakers to up the overflowing of Manoa stream “I’m not going to find them warned that the university’s online restored. walk through campus so they could to city officials yet, but UH Interim (the books) anywhere else,” said book-searching Voyager catalog Draney said as many as 225 see the damages. President David McClain stressed Mandelstan as he folded his laptop hasn’t been fully restored after being people would be involved in the “From the media reports we’ve that keeping the stream clean is key to a close at Sinclair Library. “I cer- wrecked by the weekend flooding. clean up. Thirty-five will be com- all seen it’s evident that the UH suf- to preventing future floods. tainly won’t find them on this island, She said the software is expect- pany workers and the remainder will fered serious damage and will be McClain said it’s too early to not in Honolulu.” ed to be back in shape in two weeks. be hired locally and could include looking to the Legislature for help in know when students with ongo- UH Chief of Staff Sam Callejo “We know it’s frustrating, and students. Work will be scheduled funding the cleanup and any reme- ing research or final projects would said ground floors received the bulk it’s frustrating to us, too,” Kaanapu everyday in 12-hour shifts from 7 dial work that needs to be done,” said have access to the buildings. He said of damages and that it might be pos- said as UH workers surveyed a leak a.m. to 7 p.m. State Rep. Kirk Caldwell, D-Manoa- researchers who depend on submit- sible to open top floors once electric- broadening inside Sinclair on Friday. As UH officials announced the McCully. ting their work on deadline to receive ity and air conditioning are restored. Englert said UH workers last major clean-up operation at a press Because some of the buildings federal grants were given extensions Edythe Kaanapu, head of circu- week checked for electrical dam- conference in Hawai‘i Hall Friday contain radioactive material, UH and that all projects should be fin- lation at Sinclair, said flow of students ages in the Athletics Department afternoon, a gray cloud hovered over Manoa Chancellor Peter Englert ished on time. had moderately increased Thursday and the Hawaiian Studies building. the Manoa campus, in tune with a said it took university officials 24- Joshua Mandelstan, 24, a post and Friday and that many students The extent of damages will only be National Weather Service forecast 28 hours to check for any chemical graduate philosophy student at UH called asking about Hamilton’s clo- known when electrical equipment reporting steady scattered showers spill. Manoa, worried that he might not be sure. dries up and is tested. would continue through this week. “We are certain that the safety able to finish a project that he plans She said students who have “We will be busy all the time,” Draney said frequent rain that we wanted to guarantee was to write by consulting a number of books borrowed from Hamilton may Englert said. Ashcroft expected to resign soon Legislators By Shannon McCaffrey bout of pancreatitis. But Ashcroft, a Kerry to oust Ashcroft drew rousing stopped short of ruling it out. “The job host post- Knight Ridder Newspapers favorite of religious conservatives, was applause from his party’s faithful. has not been offered,” Sunny Mindel (KRT) “energized” by the results of Tuesday’s Speculation now begins as to said. “He’s not asking for anything, election, in which polls indicated that who his likely successor will be. A and he’s very happy in the private sec- WASHINGTON — Attorney General moral values were a dominant issue leading contender is thought to be tor.” Ashcroft might not be the only election John Ashcroft, whose use of terror- for Republican voters, one aide said. his former deputy, Larry Thompson, top Bush anti-terrorism official to hit ist-fighting tough tactics have made The former U.S. senator and who would become the nation’s first the road. him a lightening rod for critics of the Missouri governor is a deeply polar- black attorney general. Thompson ran Speculation is also rampant panel today Bush administration, is expected to izing figure at the Justice Department. the Justice Department’s corporate- that Homeland Security Secretary He’s drawn fraud task force. Other names in the step down soon, aides said Thursday. Tom Ridge will leave. The former sharp criticism mix are former Montana Gov. Marc Ka Leo Staff Ashcroft could leave before Bush Pennsylvania governor is expected to is inaugurated on Jan. 20 for a second from civil liber- Racicot, the chairman of Bush’s re- return to the private sector. Officials Two state legislators will be at a term, making him among the first ties advocates election campaign, and White House close to Ridge said he hadn’t yet made post-election forum today from noon Cabinet officials to depart. Aides, who for his support of counsel Alberto Gonzalez, although a decision about his future. Homeland to 1 p.m. at the Uiversity of Hawai‘i at spoke only on condition of anonymity, the USA Patriot he’s mentioned more frequently to Act, which gave fill a possible vacancy at the Supreme Security Department spokesman Brian Manoa’s Campus Center room 308. cautioned that Ashcroft hasn’t submit- At the forum, Sen. Les Ihara the FBI sweep- Court. A tantalizing choice might be Roehrkasse said Ridge was focused ted his formal resignation and said that (D-Kapahulu-Kaimuki) and Rep. ing new police former New York Mayor Rudolph on his job as the nation moves into the if Bush asked him, he might remain Galen Fox (R-Wikiki-Ala Moana), and surveil- ASHCROFT Giuliani, a former prosecutor who’s holiday season “which has historically for a while. Ashcroft was described who have been visiting UH under the lance powers. rumored to be harboring his own been a period of concern.” as worn down by the intense demands university’s “Legislator in Residence” Ashcroft also presidential ambitions for 2008. But On Thursday, President Bush said of the job since the Sept. 11 terror- program, will analyze this year’s elec- came under fire for rounding up and Giuliani is viewed as a maverick who a shakeup of his Cabinet was inevi- ist attacks.