Whiting damage worse than expected

The structural damage that Whiting Field House obtained when it was struck by the hoist boom of a crane is worse that first anticipated.

The hoist, along with a statue of a Washburn football coach Craig Schurig, struck the east wall of Whiting yesterday. People inside the building were evacuated and search and rescue workers are still at work looking for survivors and bodies in the rubble.

At first assessment structural engineers thought the damage to Whiting was moderate and would be able to be fixed in a month. However, after extensive assessment of the building more than three quarters of the east wall has to be rebuilt due to severe cracking in the brick structure and collapse of more than half of the wall. Also, there is damage to nine offices, that was once thought to be only seven. Five of those offices will have to be completely rebuilt.

Damage to the roof of the weight room is the same as first assessed and will have to be repaired before use of the room can resume. The new Whiting Gymnasium will not be in use until the construction of the new wall is complete, which can take up to six months, depending on weather conditions.

As of now, classes will resume on Monday in Petro Allied Health Center and across the rest of campus. Classes that were to be taking place in the Whiting Gymnasium are being moved to Lee Arena, were classes will have to share the gym. All classes located in the 80-seat lecture all will be moved to Henderson 100 and a schedule will be posted no later than Saturday afternoon. Also, all professors and Washburn staff or faculty who have offices located in Whiting, damaged or not, will be moved outside to portable offices that are being brought in.

The suspected cost of the damage is $2.3 million and clean-up has started in correlation with search and rescue workers looking for missing persons. The first area expected to be done is the weight room’s roof and that will be done in two weeks, as it had the least amount of damage.

The assessment was done by constructional and structural engineers at Walker Brothers Construction. For more information, check back here for updates.

Authorites: 'Report any missing persons'

Persons who are still missing family members should report the name of the missing person to authorities. The process for doing this is by contacting (785) 673-1482 or by visiting the Red Cross Emergency Station located in the Lee Arena in Petro Allied Health Center on the campus of Washburn University.

Washburn expresses reat sumpathy to those who lost or are still missing family members. We wll continue to search until every person is located. Our thoughts are with the victims and victims families of this terrible situation.

Evacuation plans released

Washburn University has released their emergency evacuation plan that can be found on their website. This was the evacuation plan that was followed after the collapse of the east wall of Whiting Field House. Washburn Police say the plan worked well but they will try to see if anything could have been done differently to get people out faster.

Guide for Emergency Evacuation of Campus Building

This program outlines recommended procedures for emergency evacuation from residence halls and other occupied buildings on Campus. The guidelines set forth in this program are in compliance with NFPA 101 Life Safety Code.

Introduction
The protection of all students, faculty, and staff who use the buildings here on the Washburn University Campus, is high on the list of priorities considered by the administration. Regardless of building construction, sophisticated fire detection systems, and built in fire protection, a building is only as "people safe" as the owners and occupants want it to be. Because of differences in design, construction, fire resistant qualities, height, floor layout, usage, and occupancy, each building presents unique challenges during emergency evacuations. For this reason, information contained in this pamphlet should be considered a guide which outlines specific, suggested procedures to follow if and when you are required to evacuate any building on campus. This guide has been made available to the Washburn Community in an effort to ensure your safe and expedient evacuation from Campus buildings should the need arise.

Efficient Evacuation Guidelines

Washburn University Fire and Life Safety policies and procedures require that all persons in a facility evacuate that facility any time the fire alarm system is activated or other emergency that requires building evacuation. Each building and department on campus should designate supervisors who are responsible to ensure all occupants evacuate the building safely when necessary. During an evacuation, each person is responsible to adhere to the following guidelines:

• Everyone should leave the building when the fire alarm sounds.
• Emphasis should be on a safe, orderly evacuation rather than speed.
• Occupants should close doors and windows as you leave rooms. 
• Always take the stairs; never use elevators, as they may not work properly during fire emergencies.
• If a stairway contains smoke or fumes, don't panic. Use an alternate stairway exit.
• Exit stair doors should be closed after you proceed through them.
• All building occupants should report to the preplanned assembly area which should be at least 200 feet from the building. (this site should be selected by personnel in each building.)
• Designated supervisors will begin to take a "head count" to make sure everyone got out of the building.
• Any discrepancies will be reported to emergency personnel, so it is imperative to report to the preplanned assembly area.
• If you are working in a science lab and have sufficient time, ensure that your laboratory and experiment are in a safe condition before leaving the area. Report any hazardous condition to fire department personnel as they arrive on the scene.
• Re-entry into the building is contingent upon permission by the proper authority.

The following are maps of the evacuation plans for both Whiting Field House and Petro Allied Health Center. The emergency exits for the east side of Whiting were and still are unavailble due to the rubble from the east wall. People were directed around Whiting to the west exit of the building. Students in Petro Allied Health center were directed to the nearest exit according to their current location during the collapse.

Photo courtesy of http://www.washburn.edu/.



Photo courtesy of http://www.washburn.edu/.



Photo courtesy of http://www.washburn.edu/.



Photo courtesy of http://www.washburn.edu/.



Photo courtesy of http://www.washburn.edu/.

Three bodies found in rubble

Three more bodies were pulled from the rubble at Whiting Field House this morning.

The bodies of Carl Robinson, James Smith, and Sarah Halings were found in the rubble this morning, none of them survived. Each body was found in the gymnasium area of the rubble and all were pronounced dead on the scene.

Robinson, a 58-year-old professor at Washburn, suffered brain damage from the rubble falling on him. His family has been notified. This is a great loss for Washburn University and the physical education department.

“We are stunned at the news of Carl’s death. We never thought that in all this we would lose someone in our department. He is a dear, dear friend and we are hurting right now,” said Roy Wohl, Ph.D. and chair of the Kinesiology department.

Smith is a student at Washburn and was waiting for Wohl’s Lifetime Wellness class to begin. He was a freshman and was undecided on his major. Washburn University expresses its condolences to the Smith family and is very saddened to hear news of Smith’s death. Smith’s family was notified and phone calls to the family were not returned for comment.

Halings, a senior mass media student, also died in the collapse. Authorities are still unsure about the cause of death and an autopsy report will be available as soon as Monday.

“I cannot believe this happened. This is a freak accident and Sarah was there. We are still in shock and she will be missed very much. It will hurt for a very long time because she had so much to look forward in her life,” said Vince Scott, a family friend.

The search and rescue effort continues in hopes of finding more people alive. There are still missing persons and it is very possible that those persons are still alive.

Keep checking back for further updates.

Student found alive in rubble

A Washburn student trapped in the rubble of the Whiting collapse was found alive and conscious this morning.

Jeff Tippings, 20, a sophomore at Washburn, was waiting for his Walk/Jog class to begin when a crane crashed into the east wall of Whiting. Tippings was trapped for 3 hours.

Tippings is in serious but stable condition at Stormont-Vail Hospital in Topeka. He has a broken arm, three broken ribs, suffered a concussion, and abrasions on his skin. Tippings is expected to be released from the hospital as early as tomorrow morning.

“I was really scared that no one would be able to get to be. I started screaming when I was first buried but no one answered,” said Tippings.

Rick Hansen, a volunteer for the Red Cross Kansas Captiol Chapter, heard a voice under the rubble he was closely monitoring and quickly went for help. Tippings was under portions of the collapsed wall and could not move.

“I am so thankful that I was in the right place at the right time because he needed help. It took about a half hour for three men to free him from the rubble,” said Hansen. “I just hope that we can find more people because I know people are still missing family and friends.”

Tippings family was contacted immediately and went to see him at the hospital. They are just glad to know he is safe.

“We were so worried because we knew he had class around that time. It is a blessing from God that he is safe with us today. Washburn was very well organized and contacted us immediately, we were very grateful,” said Tippings mother, Susan Tippings.

Search contines for collapse victims

The collapse of the east wall of the Whiting Field House affected more than just the gym.

A little over a year after the $6.9 million renovation was complete on Whiting, a crane operator suffered a heart attack and lost control of his crane as it smashed into the side of the building.

Part of the east wall was knocked down, 7 of the new 18 offices suffered damage, the ceiling of the new weight room was damaged and glass was shattered out of the trophy cases in the entrance of Whiting. The building can hold up to 2,500 people.

“There has been significant damage to Whiting and to the areas surrounding where the crane hit. As of right now the building is not safe to be in because it has not been inspected and cleared,” said Washburn Police Sergeant Alan Whitford.

Whiting is closed to anyone who is not part of the search team looking through the rubble for trapped people. The Red Cross Kansas Capitol Chapter is looking for anyone interested in volunteering and should visit their website at thinkred.org.

The University has not yet decided what the plans for more renovations to the building at this time. Washburn is extremely concerned with finding people still alive in the rubble and helping anyone injured in the accident.

“We haven’t even gave the renovation process a second thought. That is our last priority. We need to find survivors and help all those in need and reach out to their families. We are deeply sad about this event,” said Washburn President Jerry Farley.

As of now, Washburn has canceled it’s classes for the remainder of the week. School will be back in session on Monday and classes being held in Whiting will be rescheduled to another available area on campus. For more class updates visit www.washburn.edu/classupdates

Fact Sheet: Whiting Field House

WHITING FIELD HOUSE

FACT SHEET

LOCATION: Whiting Field House is located in Topeka, Kan. on the campus of Washburn University.

HISTORY: Whiting Field House was opened on December 18, 1928 in Topeka, Kansas. The field house was dedicated during a basketball game between the University of Kansas and Washburn College. Originally, Whiting was referred to as The New Fieldhouse or Washburn Fieldhouse because it was not given its name until June 1, 1930, when it was named after Albe Burge Whiting. Whiting was used as Washburn’s home basketball court for 56 years, from 1928 until 1984.

In 1984 Petro Allied Health Center, costing $5.8 million, was built. Inside was Lee Arena, the new home court for Washburn athletics. Whiting became a practice gym for all of the athletics at Washburn, as well as used for physical education classes. In May 2008, a $7 million renovation began and was completed in August 2009.

THE BUILDING: Whiting Fieldhouse cost approximately $185,000 to build. It was constructed with native Kansas stone and cut stone trimming. Whiting stands three stories in height. It was designed to seat 5,500 people for basketball games. Whiting is 131 feet by 196 feet. It was also designed to hold concerts and stage performances on the built in stage on the south end that is 45 feet across. In the basement of the field house there was a swimming pool, which was the largest indoor pool in Topeka at the time. Whiting Field House was designed by Thomas W. Williamson who would later draw up the plans for Topeka High.

After the renovation in August 2009, Whiting Field House was split into two levels. The top level is a brand new practice basketball and volleyball court. The lower-level is a 9,258-square foot weight and conditioning room. In addition, the renovation included new locker rooms for every team and 18 new offices, a seminar room and an 80-seat classroom. The weight room is filled with $500,000 worth of state-of-the-art equipment. In the north entrance of Whiting, a 1,852-square foot area for new trophy cases and a hall of fame was added.

A.B. WHITING: Albe Burge Whiting served 50 years on the Washburn Board of Trustees. He moved to Washburn in 1877 to get his four daughters a better education at Washburn College. He created a project called the Mount Hope Cemetery project as a 1,000-year endowment trust in which no individual received any money. Half of the money was donated to Washburn and the other half was donated to the YMCA and YWCA. Whiting was one of Washburn’s greatest benefactors.

East end of Whiting collapses

This blog was created for a class project. There was no collapse in Whiting and all students, faculty and staff are okay. THIS IS NOT A REAL CRISIS.

Early this evening on the campus of Washburn University, a crane operator finishing work on Whiting Gymnasium, suffered a heart attack and lost control of the crane he was operating. The ball smashed into the east end of the building and caused a collapse. A search and rescue crew is currently working to clear the rubble and search for missing persons.

At this time three bodies have been found and have not yet been identified. The operator of the crane also died of the heart attack.

Persons located in the Whiting Gymnasium complex, please go to Petro Allied Health Center for safety. There is a Red Cross station located in Lee Arena for those seeking medical attention. People who are missing family members and friends can also find help at the Red Cross station.

For further information please call (785)673-1482.