Flood damages 19 campus buildings (Photo by Austin Kilgore, The Daily Campus)

The basements of more than 15 buildings across campus hummed in unison yesterday as high-powered fans worked to dry out wet carpet and walls – a result of Sunday’s heavy rainstorm, which left more than six inches of water in some areas of Dallas.

Campus Planning and Plant Operations reported 19 buildings had sustained some degree of water damage.

The Fincher building, located on the east side of campus in the Cox School of Business quad, the Perkins Administration building and Umphrey Lee incurred the most damage.

Though the campus drainage system functioned pretty well, CPPO Director Bob Casagrande said Sunday’s rainstorm was “too much water for the entire area to handle.”

As of Monday afternoon, CPPO was still cleaning up water and assessing damage.

Unable to name an exact dollar amount, Risk Management Director Anita Ingram said she estimates the damages will exceed SMU’s $100,000 flood insurance deductible.

In Fincher, the storm left more than a foot of standing water on the first floor. The basements of Perkins and Umphrey Lee suffered a few inches of water.

The food service and dining area in Umphrey Lee was not affected.

The Memorial Health Center, recovering from unrelated water damage, did not undergo any further damage during the storm.

Custodial staffers at the Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports pumped out an estimated 9,000 gallons of water from the lower-level fitness area, according to building manager Ed Kranz.

“It could have been a lot, lot worse,” Kranz said.

A member of Austin Construction, who was working on Phase II of the center, noticed the flooding late Sunday afternoon.

Water shorted out all electrical floor plugs in the fitness area, shutting down all treadmills and a row of cardio equipment closest to the climbing wall.

The weight area, spinning classrooms, climbing walls and other cardio machines remain open for use.

Wellness offices sustained minor water damage. Kranz estimated that the electrical plugs might be replaced by the end of this week.

The center will continue to operate during its regular hours.

Faculty and staff make up the largest group of people at SMU who were affected.

Many have offices located on the ground level of most campus buildings.

The last major flooding on the Hilltop occurred in 1995.