Water in the building following Saturday's early morning levee break was limited to two areas: the basement/tunnel space beneath the school building and the stage end of the auditorium. It appeared that there was about 22 inches of water at the peak level in the auditorium. Pumps began removing water from underneath the school and the level has been reduced several inches over the past few hours.
Water has moved off the parking lot and baseball/softball fields, and cleanup has already begun in those areas. The only part of the campus that DMPS staff has not been able to access is the football stadium, however, water appears to no longer be on the field.
The immediate priorities are to remove water from under the building, begin cleaning and sanitizing the school, and conduct air quality tests to make sure that it is a safe, clean environment before school begins on August 21. In addition, district staff are in contact with Iowa State Extension to get their expert advice on caring for the grass lawns and athletic fields at North.
Even though DMPS staff is able to gain access to the building, the following conditions are still in place:
- All North High office staff should report to Goodrell Middle School until further notice.
- North custodial staff should report to North.
- The building is closed to the public until further notice.
