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Hurricane Ivan Wrap-up
Braced for a direct hit by a Category 4 hurricane, the Sea
Lab made all preparations possible for the arrival of
Hurricane Ivan — and then held its breath. By the time
landfall had come and gone in the wee hours of September 16,
we all exhaled with relief. A quick jog to the east of
Mobile Bay spared the east end of Dauphin Island and the Sea
Lab major damage. Ivan’s storm surge struck the Lab from
the north and south, damaging all the boardwalks and the
vessel dock, as well as two ground-level science equipment
rooms on the South Campus. The buildings, however, fared
well, as did all the living animals in the Estuarium.
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The Estuarium's Living Marsh Boardwalk took a toll
from Hurricane Ivan. |
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We are now
in the process of rebuilding those wooden structures lost to
the hurricane and foresee a completion date of six months.
Meanwhile, it was a mere ten days after Hurricane Ivan that
Sea Lab classes and the Estuarium resumed their regular
schedule.
Writes
parent Kenneth Balinger, who made his fourth trip to the Sea
Lab with his son Phillip shortly after the hurricane, “While
in the classrooms I could only imagine that the DISL was
saved from Ivan due to the incredible faculty, facility and
educational opportunities it provides.”
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