3 Months After Opening, Classrooms At Corte Madera School Flooded By Storm
CORTE MADERA (KPIX 5) -- Wednesday's heavy downpour flooded six out of the 16 classrooms at The Cove School in Corte Madera. As workers dry out the evacuated classrooms, the district is preparing for Friday night's storm to prevent further water damage.
"Water came in through the doors. And we estimate probably no more than an inch and a half," said Superintendent Valerie Pitts of the Larkspur-Corte Madera School District.
"We'll be bringing in pumps. So if it does happen again in the near future, we'll be able to pump the water away," Pitts said.
Workers have already ripped out the damaged carpet and sheetrock not even a year old. The school opened in September.
"Heartbreak. This is our brand new, beautiful school. It was hard to see," said principal Michelle Walker.
The district hopes to get the students back in those six classrooms by January. The question now is why build a school here and can it withstand large future storms.
"We're in an area that floods easily. So we already knew it was a risk. But we didn't anticipate tide this high, rain this fast and strong and wind this strong all at the same time," Walker said.
The superintendent says construction workers actually re-graded the campus to make it higher than the old building that was torn down. So it's puzzling that history is repeating itself.
"The building that I am standing in front of is actually a foot above FEMA's 100-year flood level," Pitts said.