TEMP-AIR Dries Rault Resources Professional Building After Katrina

"I asked TEMP-AIR if they could provide "turnkey" cooling and dehumidifying services a few days before Katrina made landfall."

- Tommy Hopkins, Storm Services/Hopkins Services    

Storm Services/Hopkins Services have contracts with many companies in the Gulf region, including numerous electrical utility companies. After questioning TEMP-AIR if we could provide "turnkey" service, we assured them we could ship equipment to the affected areas and have our service technicians on the job site within a few days. Once the hurricane passed through New Orleans, TEMP-AIR received the call.

After the devastating effects that Hurricane Katrina and Rita had on New Orleans, Storm Services called upon TEMP-AIR to dry the 5-story Rault Resources Professional Building, which is located in the flood zone. The law and accounting firms that occupy the building had a lot of office equipment documents that needed to be dried out.

There was extensive damage on all 5 floors.

Each floor was heavily partitioned so there were few common areas to place equipment or install ductwork. Multiple models of TEMP-AIR equipment were required to successfully dry out and dehumidify all 5 levels of the building due to the irregular floor plan.

Outside air temperatures were in the 90º F range.

TEMP-AIR air conditioners were placed around the perimeter of the facility and ductwork was set in place. Portable generators provided the power for the equipment. Portable TD-200 dehumidifers were positioned on each floor floor near the office areas where they could be most effective. Floor fans were strategically placed throughout the facility to move the dried air into areas that were difficult to penetrate. Once the surfaces on all 5 floors were dry, TEMP-AIR was able to maintain cooler temps throughout the building.

New Problems Emerge

TEMP-AIR was almost ready to activate the drying and dehumidifying process in the Rault Professional Resources Building when Hurricane Rita forced another  mandatory evacuation of New Orleans. Since there was already extensive damage from Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita further complicated TEMP-AIR's mission to resolve the extensive water damage in the building. Using 4 -Air Conditioning Models THPAC-30, 30 -TD-200 dehumidifers, 32 -36” fans, 2 -125KW generators as well as 2-600 amp I-Line panels and electrical distribution cables, TEMP-AIR was able to successfully dry and dehumidify all 5 levels of the building while maintaining cool temperatures throughout.

Turnkey Service

Storm Services asked TEMP-AIR to provide turnkey service, which means TEMP-AIR provided all aspects of the solution including:

• Ship all equipment to the jobsite
• Provide portable power
• Set up all equipment
• Provide all electrical distribution and hookup

"Storm Services looks forward to working with the TEMP-AIR team on future projects involving cooling, drying, and heating!"

- Tommy Hopkins, Storm Services/Hopkins Services