Gerald Hanks
Construction workers across the Houston area spent most of the beginning of this week cleaning up debris and tying down loose items as Tropical Storm Cindy approached the Texas coast.
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Workers had to ensure materials, such as wood or drywall, would not be damaged by potentially heavy and predicted rains, while making sure that loose items would not be picked up by high winds called for by meteorologists, poised to cause significant damage.
While the fiercest parts of the storm missed Houston late Wednesday and early Thursday, most construction sites took the necessary precautions to prevent the possibility of storm damage at their job sites.
The proactive efforts, however, ultimately did and will cause delays in ongoing construction projects.
That said, the protective measures will also ensure projects do not fall even further behind schedule down the road.
Mike Dishberger, former president of the Greater Houston Builders Association and owner of Sandcastle Homes, told his staff on Monday they would spend the week cleaning up the work sites and taking precautions against storm damage.
He called on his work crews to examine their sites closely for any small piece of debris that could “act like a missile” in high winds and reinforce wood frames with plywood on current projects .
Kim Mason, director of safety services at the Associated General Contractors of Houston, told a local newspaper he and his crews “learned a lot from (Hurricanes) Rita and Ike.”
Mason mentioned high water and heavy rains from these and other storms have cost the company in water-logged materials, damaged computers and lost equipment.
Instead of continuing with construction this week, like many others, his crews were on duty strapping down trailers to prevent them from floating away in any potential flood waters.
Commercial construction sites also enacted safety measures to deal with the impending storm.
As standard industry practice, managers will often deploy trailers, computers, fuel tanks and other vital equipment to safer locations during the storm.
In some instances, workers will be allowed to take the site’s generator trucks to their homes while they complete vital computer work.
Although Houston escaped the worst of Tropical Storm Cindy, hurricane season is still in full effect until November 30.
