Milwaukee VA recovers from minor flooding damage brought on by Sunday deluge

The flooding damage was attributed to the overwhelming amount of rain, which overwhelmed some of the hospital’s gutters and drains. That led to pooling water on the roof. 

Our Facilities Management and Environmental Services teams quickly responded, minimizing the impact on care for our Veterans.

Two of the operating rooms experienced limited water damage, with two cases canceled Monday and rescheduled for a near future date. Other areas of the hospital experienced water penetration through windows and roofs, resulting in waterlogged ceiling tiles and carpets.

Due to the building’s design, most of the damage occurred on the second floor, which houses Surgery Administration, Laboratory, Radiology and the Operating Rooms.

The water from the storm did make its way to rooms in one of the clinics on the first floor, all of which were operational by the end of the day.

The window leaks occurred primarily in inpatient rooms on the west side of the hospital, but staff were able to move those eight affected Veterans to other rooms.

By this morning (Wednesday, Sept. 13), nearly all impacted areas were remediated and returned to service. One the operating rooms remains out of service, although it is expected to be operational within the next 24-48 hours.  All inpatient rooms are available for Veterans.

We are grateful to all our staff, particularly in Nursing, Facilities Management and Environmental Services, for working diligently and quickly to respond to the event. Their efforts allowed the vast majority of the hospital operations to proceed as usual, with little impact on the Veterans we serve.

David Walter, Public Affairs Specialist

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