Employees of Action Catastrophe Team of Tupelo work Wednesday morning to build a tent where dehumidifiers are to be placed in an attempt to salvage the warped basketball court at Warren Central High School. (Brian LodenThe Vicksburg Post)

[7/1/04]Workers started tearing out the water-soaked and -buckled gym floor at Warren Central High School Wednesday, but stopped when a second insurance adjuster said it may be repairable.

“An insurance company sent an adjuster Monday, and that adjuster decided that the floor needed to come up,” said Vicksburg Warren School District Superintendent James Price. “He made some preliminary assessments and reported back to the insurance company.

“They decided to send a senior adjuster from the home office since the damage might be extensive.”

A decision, perhaps, may be made today.

The floor was soaked Sunday by 2 inches of water pouring through after a burst of wind ripped away a portion of the roof.

The same storm caused widespread damage across Warren County and snapped off Bradford pear trees on the high school campus on Mississippi 27.

Removal of the gym floor was begun by a Tupelo-based contracting company hired by the insurance company before being told to stop. Then, tents were erected to cover fans to extract moisture from the floor.

The girls’ basketball coach wasn’t optimistic.

“I don’t see any way possible that the floor can be repaired,” said Donny Fuller. “It’s bucked from one end to the other and in several spots.”

Fuller said practice begins Oct. 11, and contingency plans are being made. The school has a second, smaller gym, and nearby Beechwood Elementary also has a basketball court.

At noon today, Price was expected to ask the five-member Board of Trustees to declare the situation an emergency to forego the bid process for repairs not covered by insurance.

Price estimated that a new floor could cost about $250,000, and roof repairs could cost nearly $500,000.

Warren Central is the second school to be damaged by severe weather in a year. Classrooms at Redwood Elementary School were damaged after storms tore off part of that building’s roof.

Trustees declared the situation an emergency the same day, and the repairs were made at a cost of $54,900.