HOMESTEAD ARB, Fla -- Three months after Hurricane Wilma struck South Florida, many buildings at Homestead Air Reserve Base are still undergoing major repairs.
“Nine buildings received extensive roof and water damage,” said Henry Burgains, 482nd Contracting office.
Out of the damaged structures, the gym, fire department, Base Exchange and the wing headquarters buildings had the highest priority for repairs.
Thanks to contingency contracting plans set up for events of this nature, 482nd Contracting was able to contract out a roofing company within three days after Wilma made landfall.
Within seven days, they already had two crews working on the gym. The crew, from Waco, Texas, had previously worked on other roofing projects at Homestead ARB, and those were the roofs which held up during Wilma.
Burgains estimates it will cost approximately 4 million dollars to repair all the damaged roofs.
Similarly, the BX Mart was in desperate need of a new roof for the past 2 years, and it significantly worsened after Wilma.
The new roof will “help tremendously” said Naomi Smith, BX Mart manager. “Not only will it make a big difference, but it will also change the appearance.”
Unlike the gym and the BX, repairs to the wing headquarters building “will be the hardest, most difficult and most time-consuming,” explained Mr. Burgains.
With half the structure blown away on the southwest side, the entire building will have to be redesigned to maintain strength and balance. It involves submitting new drawings and plans.
Not only was contracting involved in the repair process, but they also immediately acquired generators, batteries, emergency light-alls for the base and runway, and water and ice for base personnel.
Within 2-3 hours after the hurricane, a few of us were gathering research while others were implementing plans.
“It was a team effort,” said Mr. Burgains. “We all had the same goal.”