Houston We have a Problem

   Houston, we have a problem. Hurricane Alicia has caused so much damage to the high rises downtown we may have to demolish several significant buildings including the Downtown YMCA. One Allen Center and the downtown post office. One Allen Center is leaning like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It could fall over onto The Downtown YMCA.  A terrifying thought. That is my gym. I also work there part-time and have for a long time. My brother Lee helped build One Allen Center. So, I’m emotionally connected to both beautiful buildings.

     The city flooded hampering chances of securing the precarious structure. Now with a citywide electrical blackout, pumping the water is confined to generators dispersing the deluge into Buffalo Bayou. It should enable some type of reinforcement of One Allen Center. However, a critical decision has been made. Both the Downtown YMCA and One Allen Center will be demolished. I didn’t like that idea. I plan to save them.

    I’m a union carpenter currently working on the San Felipe Plaza and the Richmond Tower both are the two tallest buildings outside of a downtown district anywhere in the world. The San Felipe Plaza is using a new innovative screw-jacked collapsible gang form system to pour the elevator shafts. We use huge massive she bolts to lock the gang form system together and pour the floor. The next day we pull she bolts break the gang form apart screw jack the gang form up one more elevation. Replace the now greased she bolts into the realigned gang forms. Insert welding plates and any other embeds into the future concrete walls. The ironworkers then weld their steel I-beams onto our weld plates and follow us up to the building. If you cruise into Houston on the Eastex Freeway from the south all you will see on the horizon is skyscrapers. An awesome sight. So, it literally pains me to know we are not only destroying one of the largest and oldest YMCAs in the world but in addition a beautiful new skyscraper in One Allen Center.

    We’re hoping to dewater the buildings permitting appropriate inspection of One Allen Center and the rest of the flooded buildings. If we can save One Allen Center, we will be able to save the YMCA. Other buildings appear stable but flooded. We can pump pressurized concrete under the foundation to shore up the building just like they did with the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

    Once we started dewatering, we noticed cracks in some of the lower windows. Which tells me the building is in a major bind. Now out of fear of total collapse, we stop pumping. Can run guy wires and beams up to the top of the building to keep it from falling over. Can we? (Heck no get real) Hmm, well after recalculations we decided to continue pumping. Yet slowly. Our pumps failed several times. Leaving us petrified as we watched the colossal behemoth lean.

     Linbeck Construction Company stepped in with the pressurized concrete injector. But I’m thinking, “Can we pump the pressurized concrete while we have so much water around the building? We decided to sandbag several key locations to pump water. Developing water-free islands to permit access to the foundation. We could hear creaking and more windows cracking as we watched in terror. To top it off We start seeing creatures swimming in the murky water. Unbelievable. Images of the building falling filled my mind’s eye. I forget about the potential danger. I see shark fins. I wondered if they would attack us. I’m sure they’re hungry, let’s put it that way. I imagined getting attacked as I worked first with the sharks then with gators Yikes Oh my God. I shudder at the thoughts.

   As we’re working, I feel a sharp poke in my leg. I jump up out of the water out of impulse and fear. I see four pinholes in my leg now leaking blood. I start to feel weak and dizzy. I have no idea what has bitten me. I yell at my coworkers. “Hey, I think I just got bitten by a snake.”

   My friend Kirk starts heading my way as well as others. He wears a weird smile tinged with fear. I could see it in his eyes. Then I just sat down on my now sandbagged island hoping and praying it wasn’t poisonous. I think about in the old westerns how the cowboy would suck the poison out of his pal's leg. I chuckled to myself. What a stupid thought. At a time like this. Why do I always laugh at the sign of danger, That is bizarre. But I can’t help it. Oh well, it is what it is.

    He grabs my leg as others approach lifting it up he can see the oozing blood. So I asked him.

    “Are you gonna suck out the poison?”

     He looks at me and smiles. “Are you nuts? You’re a dead man if I must do that.” Then chuckles. “Did you see what bit you”?

   “No” I reluctantly reply.

“Well, we may have to amputate. “Ha Just kidding” He gets out his phone as he smiles and starts dialing 911.

    I don’t know what to say or do but I feel nervous as heck. Is it fear or am I poisoned Oh god I don’t know.

    Now knowing I’m probably the only one wanting to save the buildings I plead with the powers at be to continue pumping. Then we can drive pilings down to bedrock, add in the pressurized concrete, and stabilize the building for good. Now dizzier than heck. They looked at me like I was an idiot. Well, I ended up getting rushed off to the hospital, but I found out I was not poisoned. “YAY”

  So back downtown I go. When I got there, I wasn’t the only one bitten by a snake.

The demolition team was hard at work setting the charges throughout the building. It was out of my control. So, I asked them if could I please push the button on this catastrophe. If it’s costing lives it must go. Sorry, Brother, I love you but this beautiful building has to go. Amen.” I pushed the button.”