A "massive pipe break" last night "flooded UCLA and surrounding areas with millions of gallons of water and threatened the near-term use of Pauley Pavilion," according to a front-page piece by Queally, Gordon & Owens of the L.A. TIMES. UCLA officials last night said that they would be "unable to determine whether athletic teams would be able to use Pauley Pavilion this season until the cleanup is done and the damage is assessed." Crews were "using squeegees and water vacuums to clear water and silt from the floor of the venerable" facility, which underwent a $136M renovation in '12. Last night, "more than 3-1/2 hours after the line ruptured, about an inch of water remained on the floor." UCLA Associate Vice Chancellor/Communications & Public Outreach Carol Stogsdill said that at "one point, up to 8 inches of water covered the main floor of the pavilion, and it was even higher in some lower rooms." Water was "seen inside the J.D. Morgan Center, which houses athletic staff and administration offices, the George Kneller Academic Center, UCLA's Athletic Hall of Fame and the John Wooden Center." Water and mud also "inundated Drake Stadium" (
L.A. TIMES, 7/30). ESPN's Keith Olbermann said the court at the newly renovated arena "appears likely to have been ruined" (
"Olbermann," ESPN2, 7/29). ESPN's Neil Everett said of the flooding, "Heartbreaking to see if you have any sense of the history" (
"SportsCenter," ESPN, 7/30).
NEEDING TO REASSESS THINGS: UCLA AD Dan Guerrero in a text message wrote that UCLA staff would "reassess" Pauley Pavilion's condition this morning. He wrote, "I'm confident we will play at home this season." ESPN L.A.'s Myron Medcalf notes workers "used sandbags to try to stop the water from flowing into Pauley Pavilion as the sudden rush caused campus officials to scramble their resources" (ESPNLA.com, 7/30). UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said, "It's painful. It's painful. We just refurbished Pauley just a few years ago." Administrative Vice Chancellor Jack Powazek said that the school "may need to make contingency plans, but 'luckily we're not in the middle of basketball season" (AP, 7/30).
