Hurricane Irma Hits UGAMI

on September 22, 2017

Hurricane Irma hit UGAMI pretty hard.  About ¾ of our buildings had some storm surge flooding, including research & teaching labs; the BIRL dormitory; The Powerhouse (lecture hall/dining hall/kitchen); administrative offices; electrical, auto & carpentry shops; houses; and storage facilities. The main lab and nearby buildings suffered the worst damage, with over a foot of water inside. Electrical power to Sapelo Island was out for a week.

The good news is that none of our vehicles, vessels, or vital instruments were damaged.  The UGAMI campus is a mess but the contractors are already well into the cleanup/restoration process, so we should be back operating at 100% capacity by Thanksgiving.  We’re also trying to use this as an opportunity to improve some facilities and make them less prone to flood damage in the future.  It’s a setback, but it’s temporary, and we’ll come out of it stronger in the end.

Floodwater from Hurricane Irma covers the ground up to buildings and posts with chain barriers at UGAMI; timestamp shows 09-11-2017 at 12:22:48.
The scene outside the BIRL dormitory at the peak of the storm surge.

See more images of Hurricane Irma’s effects on UGAMI and Sapelo Island in our Photo Gallery.