Tornadoes and Contingencies - A Tale about being prepared

As the story was told to me as far back as I can remember, in the early morning of April 6th, 1936 the 5th deadliest tornado in recorded U.S. history hit our small but thriving town of Gainesville, Georgia.  My grandmother was only four years old and my great grandmother was working in a local mill to support her soon-to-be family of eight just outside the town square.  That eerie and still spring morning set the stage for an ominous event that would forever change the people of our little town. 

As two funnels began to churn, one coming in from the West and the second from the Southwest, they both eventually came together in a deadly collision on the downtown square.  The damage was horrendous leaving behind immense debris and destroying a very large portion of the business sector.  Fires broke out and a local manufacturing plant, Cooper Pants Factory, burned up with mostly women and children trapped inside.  At least 60 of them never made it out and locals with relatives that were witness to it tell tales that are truly haunting.

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Eventually these two tornadoes separated and a third came onto the scene causing damage to my own alma mater, Brenau University.  When the initial nightmare of the storm finally let up, the people were only beginning to realize the true and more enduring nightmare that was the aftermath.

According to the statistics, more than 200 people lost their lives and at least 1,600 were injured.  Homes were destroyed, families were displaced and local churches as well as schools were used as places to treat victims and house those who were now without their own.  It was a time of great grief.  But also a time of coming together and rebuilding what had been destroyed.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt paid the town a visit three days later and announced his intent to help the city rebuild.  And that's what they did.  With damages totaling around 12.5 million dollars, astronomical at that time, the community came together and re-built a city that was much more modern than most surrounding cities.  Because our water systems and basic infrastructure were in complete disrepair, new systems were constructed which put the city of Gainesville ahead of many others in the state of Georgia.  It was truly a rebirth of sorts.  

Fast forward to a few years ago when I was sitting in a design meeting with the team that had come together to renovate our local public Library.  It was originally built in 1969 by a local architect whose father had experienced the tornado of 1936 first hand.  But we were now appointed the task of updating the space and adding additional and much-needed square footage to our endeared Library.  

As we sat there, we began to talk about contingencies and the typical discussion of what all COULD be found as contractors began tearing into a nearly 50-year-old structure.  As would be expected, we faced the grueling task of how to treat any asbestos-laden areas and struggling aged HVAC units.  Sprinkler systems were noted, exterior building structures needed a serious update and the elevators were a mess as well.

But then, out of nowhere, the Library director spoke up and said, "From what I understand, there are tunnels under the building."  Everyone looked at her, waiting for further explanation in thick silence.  She went on to explain the rumors that decades after the tornadoes, it was thought that tunnels were built beneath the only Library in that area to connect with other buildings on the proverbial grid in order to ensure safety in the event of another catastrophe.  No one had any clue as to what buildings they might lead to or for that matter, how to even access them; assuming the rumors were even true.  But nonetheless, underground tunnels had to be considered a strong possibility for our design and construction team.

There were suggestions that plans had to exist somewhere showing those tunnels, but no one knew where they might be.  All we could do at this point was hope we didn't run into them and plan for it if we did.

We never did find them, nor did we encounter any structural or foundational issues that were caused by such tunnels, but the mere idea of the possibility was always a lingering thought in our minds as we continued to move forward.  Not to mention the spooky notion of secret tunnels under a Library that is already heavily-doused in tales of two ghosts that haunt the building and have for decades.  But that's a story for another day.  And one I promise I will tell in the near future.

In the meantime, the moral to THIS story is that you must be prepared when building your Library.  Contingencies are there for a reason; especially for renovation work.  New builds aren't nearly the headache as working on an as-built.  You need to set a contingency number from the very beginning and do your best to not touch it until one of those emergencies comes up.  And rest assured, they will rear their ugly heads. 

As a strong reference point, keep in mind that a good contingency amount is usually 10% for a renovation (5% for new construction).  So make room for it.  You won't be sorry.  And if by some miracle you don't use it, consider it a slush fund for future programming and materials budgets!

If you're building or planning a build in the near future, I hope you'll reach out to me with any questions you may have.  You can join my DIY Library Design group on Facebook below to ask me any questions you may have, comment on my recent email topic and learn all about my upcoming design courses.

But mostly, use the group to stay in touch and help me get to know you and your Library better!  I'm happy to help in any way that I can. 

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