![]() Instead of just sending out a mass e-mail to the more than 1,000 affected participants, members of the athletics department took it upon themselves to make personal phone calls to each and every one, adding a personal touch that went a long way. The monetary impact this had on the athletics program was a major blow, especially the cancellation of the orientations, which were a major outlet in selling football and men’s basketball tickets. Orientations and summer sport camps had to be rescheduled, and even cancelled in some instances. The softball and track facilities were under eight feet of water and had to be completely re-sodded and replaced. The volunteer participation in the clean up was outstanding, with more than 1,000 people joining forces to protect the University of Iowa’s "sacred ground," some of which included campus staff, student-athletes and even local prisonersĪlthough the flood occurred during the non-athletics competition months, the athletics program was still greatly affected.Ě plan was put in place after the 1993 flood, giving the clean-up crew somewhat of a blueprint on what needed to be done.Unlike other, more sudden natural disasters, weather officials were able to work with Iowa administration to anticipate the flood and its impending damage.The flood occurred June 10, and the clean-up efforts took place when students were off campus on summer break.Many things made the clean-up effort as manageable as it possibly could have been. It did just that in 1993, and even more so just two years ago, when a winter with three times the normal amount of snow and then an even wetter spring created the perfect storm, leading to a levy breakage and a flooded campus that cost $230 million to repair. ![]() Paula Jantz, associate athletics director at the University of Iowa, led things off by giving a detailed report, supplemented by a photo presentation, of a flood in 2008 that devastated Iowa City, leaving athletics and academic facilities alike utterly destroyed.Ī little background of the campus: Explained by Jantz as a "love-hate" relationship with the Iowa River that runs through the heart of the campus, it provides a wonderful setting, but can also devastate the community if it were to ever overflow. CEFMA General Session "Weather and its Impact on Intercollegiate Events"Ī topic dubbed in the opening remarks as "one of our industry’s biggest risks," two presenters with plenty of experience dealing with Mother Nature and its effect on intercollegiate athletics shared their thoughts and gave suggestions to a room full of athletics facility managers. ![]()
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