Medical Center in Galveston Faces $710 Million in Ike Damage

The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston faces $710 million in building damage, ruined equipment, revenue losses, and cleanup and evacuation costs because of Hurricane Ike, and officials expect a "significant" number of layoffs at the 12,000-person facility, the Houston Chronicle reports. Insurance will cover only $100 million of the damage, which far surpasses that at Tulane after Hurricane Katrina. The damage includes campus buildings that took on as much as 8 feet of water and the destruction of the hospital's kitchen, blood bank, and radiology department.

UTMB, the state's oldest medical school, has lobbied FEMA for more funds and has also turned to state lawmakers for help.

Elsewhere, Rice University in Houston sustained $3 million in damage, the Thresher reports. Ike damaged about two thirds of the buildings and one third of the trees on campus, but officials say most of the building damage was minimal, such as wet carpet and broken windows.

Reader Comments Read all comments (9)

Add Your Thoughts

Comment Name State Select One AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY International Email

Please enter the two words below into the text field underneath the image.

Incorrect please try again

Enter the words above: Enter the numbers you hear:

Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.