4 SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Middle Village school sustained an estimated $1
million in fl ooding damage after Hurricane Ida
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
Christ the King High School in
Middle Village sustained an
estimated $1 million in damage
aft er the remnants of Hurricane Ida
passed through the Northeast on
Sept. 1.
Michael Michel, the president
of Christ the King, said the entire
basement of the 280,000-square-foot
building was fi lled with about 5 feet of
water by 2 a.m. on the morning of Sept.
2. An estimated 1,800 gallons of water
was pumped out of the basement per
hour — Michel said the pumps were
working for a total of 70 hours.
The boilers, hot water system,
injector pumps, oil pumps, a weight
room and thousands of books were
destroyed during the flooding.
Michel also said new air fi ltration
systems — that were supposed to be
an extra precaution to prevent the
spread of COVID-19 — were destroyed
as well.
The hurricane came through during
the fi rst week of school for Christ
the King. However, Michel said they
Christ the King’s basement fi lled with about 5 feet of water during Hurricane Ida fl ooding.
Photos courtesy of Christ the King
were able to maintain the normal
school schedule.
“It hasn’t altered classes,” Michel said.
“It has altered some books and material,
but we’re working around that. It’s
interfering with the heating system.”
Michel said thankfully, heating
isn’t needed right now since the
weather is still good and expects
everything will be up and running
within the next couple of weeks.
Christ the King hopes to get most of
the money for these repairs through
insurance, but Michel said they
would also likely have to take from
the school’s emergency fund.
The New York City Department of
Environmental Protection pumped
out the water and the school hired
private contractors to clean, repair
and paint the basement.
“I want to recognize there was a lot
of help and support, and I thank them
all,” Michel said. “We will be having
our open house, which is scheduled
for Oct. 4. We were afraid we might
have had to cancel, but no, it is full
steam ahead.”
NEWS FROM UNICO
Queensboro Unico recently attended the Unico National Convention
to celebrate with chapters from around the country all coming
together for good work, friendships and charitable causes that
Unico raises funds for on a regular basis.
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