Multi-Story Retail Space

Winter Storm Uri brought a severe freeze that caused a 1 inch fire suppression line to break on the third floor of a large retail space. The break released water into the space for approximately 6-8 hours. Between the three floors of the building, 90,000 square feet were affected. Target Solutions was called in when the damage was discovered. The resulting project was one of the largest water mitigation and dry-out jobs caused by the storm in the state of Texas.

After arriving on the scene, the Target team began mitigation efforts by extracting all standing water, then removing all affected drywall. In total, 30,000 square feet of hardwood floors and 10,000 square feet of partition walls were removed as a result of the extensive water damage. Two 1 meg generators and three 15,000 CFM desiccant dehumidifiers were placed with ductwork run throughout the facility. Additionally, 100 air scrubbers and 500 air movers were placed and coupled with daily moisture mapping and monitoring. Drying of the facility took nearly 3 weeks due to the saturation level and building components. The success of the drying efforts prevented the owner from having to remove and replace the building’s extensive exposed wood structures. The alternative would be to rebuild, which would have been costly and resulted in a much longer business interruption. Multiple vendors, tenants, and personal contents were affected. Target Solutions coordinated with affected tenants to ensure that their expectations were met during the mitigation process. The building’s owner emphasized that Target’s interventions significantly reduced the physical, emotional, and financial impact the event caused her and her tenants.