Case study: Disaster recovery at Marshall Fields Early one morning, basements in Chicago's downtown central business district began to flood. A hole the size of an automobile had developed between the river and an adjacent abandoned tunnel. The tunnel, built in the early 1900s for transporting coal, runs throughout the downtown area. When the tunnel flooded, so did the basements of buildings connected to it - some 272 in all, including that of major retailer Marshall Fields. The problem was first noted at 5.30 am, when a member of the Marshall Fields trouble desk saw water pouring into the basement. The manager of maintenance was notified and immediately took charge. His first actions were to contact the Chicago Fire and Water Departments, and Marshall Fields' parent company, Dayton Hudson in Minneapolis. Electricity - and with it all elevator, computer, communication and security services for the 15-story building - would soon be lost. The building was evacuated, and elevators were moved above basement levels. A command post was set up and a team formed from various departments, such as facilities, security, human resources, public relations, and financial, legal, insurance, and support services. Later that day, members of Dayton Hudson's risk management group arrived from Minneapolis to take over coordinating the team's efforts. The team's goal was to ensure the safety of employees and customers, minimise flood damage, and resume normal operations as soon as possible. The team hoped to open the store to customers one week after the flood began. An attempt was made to pump the water out; however, as long as the tunnel hole remained unrepaired, the Chicago River continued to pour back into the basements. Eventually the tunnel was sealed and the Army Corps of Engineers gave approval to start pumping. Everything in the second-level basement was a loss, including equipment for security, heating, ventilation, airconditioning, fire sprinkling and mechanical services. Most merchandise in the first-level basement stockrooms was also lost. Electricians worked around the clock to install emergency generators and restore lighting and elevator service. Additional security officers were hired. An emergency pumping system and new piping to the water-sprinkling tank were installed so the sprinkler system could be reactivated. Measures were taken to monitor ventilation and air quality, and dehumidifiers and CBPM02M Portfolio October 2021 [TURN OVER] 6 fans were installed to improve air quality. Within the week, inspectors from the City of Chicago and OSHA gave approval to re-open the store. After water was drained from Marshall Fields' basements, damaged merchandise was removed and sold to a salvager. The second basement had to be gutted to assure removal of contaminants. Salvageable machinery had to be disassembled and sanitised. The extent of the damage was assessed and insurance claims filed. A construction company was hired to manage restoration of the damaged areas. Throughout the ordeal, the public relations department dealt with the media, being candid yet showing confidence in the recovery effort. Customers had to be assured that the store was safe. The team overseeing the recovery initially met twice a week to evaluate progress and make decisions, then slowly disbanded as the store recovered. This case illustrates crisis management, an important element of which is having a team that can move fast to minimise losses and quickly recover damages. At the beginning of a disaster there is little time to plan, though companies and public agencies often have crisis guidelines for responding to emergency situations. When an emergency occurs they then develop more specific, detailed plans to guide short- and long-term recovery efforts. Source: Adapted from Nicholas, J.M. & Steyn, H. 2017. Project management for engineering, business and technology. 5 th edition. New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis. In what ways is this flood disaster recovery effort a project? what makes large-scale disaster response and recovery efforts projects?