1. Purpose

   The Hocking River does flood from time to time; therefore it is necessary to establish procedures for monitoring conditions, notification, and implementation of actions to minimize potential damages to property and inconveniences to students, faculty, and staff.

   Departments located in the buildings and areas listed in subsection I of Policies and Procedures, below, must have business continuity plans in place for dealing with high water by:

   1. establishing a method of communicating potential flooding to building occupants;
   2. moving items to be protected from ground floor levels to upper floors;
   3. establishing pre-determined locations to which items may be moved;
   4. moving equipment and vehicles from garages, parking lots, and the grounds, to higher ground; and
   5. taking whatever steps are necessary to protect items that cannot be relocated.

   It will be the responsibility of each department to physically relocate their own equipment and supplies, as Facilities Management personnel will have the primary responsibility of performing numerous functions that are essential in lessening the impact of flooding conditions on buildings, building mechanical systems, and utilities. All persons shall use extreme caution in flood water, e.g. be alert for all electrical connections when moving or removing devices or equipment.

2. Areas and Buildings Affected

   The low lying areas of the campus are in the flood plain and could be affected if the river goes over the banks. Buildings in the flood plain include:

   A. West Green	B. East Green	C. South Green
   Aquatic Center Academic Research Center Baker Center Bird Arena Boyd Convocation Grosvenor Grover Irvine Hall James Life Science Center* Parks Porter Ryors Sargent Stocker Treudley Visitor's Center Walter* Wilson	Biddle Bush Clippinger Gamertsfelder Jefferson Johnson* Lincoln Lower Campus Grounds McCracken Morton Perkins Putnam Read* Shively Tiffin Washington	Adams Brown Crawford Dougan Hoover Mackinnon Nelson Pickering Smith Surface Science True Weld Wray Clippinger Research Annex
   D. Athletic Mall	E. North Green	F. Service Center
   Carin Strength Center Chessa Field (soccer) Driving Range Football Practice Peden Stadium Ping Center* Pro Shop Pruitt Field Softball Tennis Courts Walter Field House Wren Stadium	Glidden Music Building* Hwa-Wei Lee Library Annex Music Addition Sculpture Studio Seigfred Hall	Biochemistry* Central Food Service* Corrosion Center* Facilities Management* Heating Plant Substation* Heritage Hall Medical Education Center Innovation Center* Laushe Heating Plant* Old Custodial Stores* University Garage*

    

   * The buildings marked with an asterisk ("*") are either on the edge of the flood plain or they are raised so they are out of the flood plain, so in the event of flooding, they are likely to be surrounded by water.

3. Monitoring the River

   Emergency Management will have primary responsibility for evaluating river elevation conditions and for triggering various levels of readiness notifications to departments on campus that would be affected by flooding conditions. There are a variety of factors that determine the possibilities and extent of flooding, including:

   1. Amount of rain in a given period of time up-stream from Athens.
   2. The quantity and rate of increase of water levels in a given time period.
   3. Temperature and time of year.
   4. Percentage of watershed covered.
   5. Soil condition, type of cover, and slope, which determine the amount of runoff in a given rain.
   6. Presence of ice in the river.

4. Notification Categories

   Notification to departments located in affected areas may be in either of two categories:

   1. Flood Watch

      Conditions are such that departments will be notified that flooding is possible and that they should review plans for relocating essential equipment and have personnel and equipment ready to implement relocation plans on short notice.

   2. Flood Warning

      Available information indicates that the river will go over the levee and will affect the lower areas of the campus. Departments will be advised to implement their flood plans.

5. Notification

   Notification will be sent to identified building managers and departments located in affected areas as follows:

   Emergency Management is responsible for monitoring river conditions and for implementing, in conjunction with Facilities Management, "Flood Watch" and "Flood Warning" notifications. A listing of all building and department contacts that should receive "Flood Watch" and "Flood Warning" notifications shall be maintained by Facilities Management and provided to Emergency Management.

   Additional information may be obtained by contacting Emergency Management.

Forms, References, and History

1. Forms

   There are no forms that are specific to this policy.

2. References

   There are no external items that are particularly relevant to this policy.

3. History

   Draft versions of this policy that were circulated for review, their cover memos, their forms, and Reviewers' comments on them are available on the

   Prior versions of this policy were approved on:

   1. June 3, 2009 (accelerated review)
   2. October 22, 2004
   3. January 27, 1995
   4. December 18, 1990