Noah's Ark

[lance lafargue]

OK Rob, bust out with the Dampp Chasers and do a commercial!!
Vegas sounds more like Louisiana every day.  You could install styrofoam
under the Yamaha's rim for the next rain.  Would like to hear how things go
the next few weeks/months in the aftermath.
LANCE LAFARGUE, RPT
LAFARGUE PIANO SERVICES
New Orleans Chapter
Mandeville, LA.
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lafargue@iamerica.net

"Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to
make them all yourself."

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> From: Robert Goodale <rrg@nevada.edu>
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: Noah's Ark
> Date: Thursday, July 08, 1999 3:33 PM
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> It has been a rather interesting day at the university today
> to say the least!
> 
> It started out cloudy this morning.  Then it started to
> sprinkle a bit.  Soon it was raining.  Before long the
> thunder started roaring and we were in for a heavy and
> steady down poor.  Next the roof started leaking in the
> university piano shop.  I began moving things around a bit
> and putting containers in places to catch the water, (the
> biggest leak was right over my desk).  The maintenance
> people were notified.
> 
> Next I get a phone call from the assistant dean.  It seems
> that the water is rising around the music building fast and
> is entering and filling up the choral rehearsal room.  This
> room has a sunken floor and is set lower than ground level.
> I arrive and sure enough water is pouring in through the
> back doors, (which leads to steps up to ground level).  Well
> we have two pianos in this room.  One is a Kawai KG-2 about
> twenty years old.  The water is past the wheels and rising
> fast.  There is also a harpsichord.  The other piano is
> brand new 7' Yamaha.  So new that it is in fact still in the
> shipping crate!!  It is a dealer loaner piano.  At this
> point the water is past the 2x4s on the bottom and is just
> approaching the point where the piano would be sitting in
> the crate.
> 
> A mad rush now begins to gather people to help move the
> pianos to higher ground.   The floor is arranged in long
> steps so that chairs can be placed on each step for
> rehearsals.  The plan is to move the pianos up a couple
> steps.  Fifteen minutes later ten or so volunteers are
> rounded up and the piano is moved, (about a full foot above
> the current water level).  The old grand is brought all the
> way up to the top level and the harpsichord is saved.
> 
> The rain continues and rises around the building.  Soon it
> is entering the main building and begins running into the
> black box theater.  The dance studio's brand new hardwood
> floors are now underwater.  Outside a river rushes by and
> the commons slowly become a lake as the last bit of high
> ground disappears.  Now the water is pouring into the choral
> room through the front entrance.  It is over four feet high
> outside the back doors and the center post begins to give
> was as the force of the water pushes in.  By this time the
> rain begins tapering off but the water continues to rise.
> It becomes clear that the piano in the crate will need to be
> moved again.  More volunteers arrive and we move the piano
> up two more steps.  Meanwhile a crew outside stacks
> sandbags.
> 
> Finally the water level outside begins to drop, (although it
> is still filling the choral room).  It looks as though the
> situation will be under control.  Then utility folks show up
> and order the building evacuated because they must shut down
> the power.  At the time that I left it looked as if things
> would be okay although three more inches of rain are
> expected tonight.  The building is a mess and mud is
> everywhere.  Perhaps the piano crate could be made into an
> ark?
> 
> Rob Goodale, RPT
> University of Nevada, Las Vegas
> 
> P.S. To top it off I also lost my glasses outside in the
> water trying to leap over a stream to get to my car!!