On October 11, 2006 a small private plane crashed into the Belaire Condominium, a 52 story high-rise building on New York City’s Upper East Side, approximately 250 feet from the East River. The impact ignited several apartments before pieces of the aircraft crashed to the ground. The aircraft struck at about the 40th and 41st floors of the Belaire Condominium, at 524 E. 72nd St., near York Avenue. The building was evacuated. The Belaire has 52 floors, with several of the bottom floors housing offices for doctors and other professionals, and residences upstairs. After the investigation, BMS CAT^® was awarded the clean-up and restoration of the entire building by Gumley Haft. BMS CAT^® immediately deployed a team to establish control of the loss site and to begin the restoration. BMS CAT^® worked with the board of directors and also several tenants and insurance companies involved and with the Board of Directors of the Belaire Condominium for quality assurance. BMS CAT^® will complete the Belaire Condominium project by December 20, 2006.

The actual combustion occurred in an area of the hospital facility undergoing extensive renovation and adjoining critical building mechanical equipment. Medical records located in the immediate area of the fire received extensive char, water, and smoke damage. BMS CAT^® coordinated structural demolition, cleaning, deodorization, and encap­sulation procedures in the area of the actual combustion to insure quality control standards of the hospital and to expedite renovation activities. Medical documents were boxed and transported to a flash freezer, then taken to the BMS CAT^® Vacuum Chamber for vacuum freeze-drying. After that, documents were cleaned, deodorized, secured, and re-labeled. Certain records were transferred to micro-fiche form to facilitate the needed format. The items were then returned to the hospital and incorporated into the renovated medical room.

BMS performed a full service recovery system on this facility which was located in the heart of New Orleans and was damaged by wind driven rain, high winds and rising water due to Hurricane Katrina. BMS provided a drying system for the entire facility including one tower with 44 floors and one tower with 34 floors along with numerous ballrooms and parking garages. BMS maintained conditions for the facility mediating the loss potential. Once stabilization was accomplished, BMS cleaned and sanitized each room and office space. Glass and miscellaneous debris was removed and the Hotel was functional well ahead of schedule. BMS CAT^® is now preferred vendor for the Marriott chain.

The 44 acre campus and 6 offsite facilities of the Dillard University campus system were damaged after the levee system gave way due to Hurricane Katrina. The campus sustained 3’ to 9’ feet of contaminated rising water. BMS developed a mediation program to remove all remaining moisture and stabilize all buildings within the Dillard campus. BMS performed remediation on all buildings. BMS also assisted the University with inventory of all personal content along with the campus content, designing a team to pack out, inventory and deliver or facilitate the return of all salvageable personal and private content of each building within the campus system.

The Largest Department store in Manhattan which was located directly across the street from the Twin Towers suffered damage as a result of 9-11. When the buildings collapsed the facility was covered in 3" – 6" of debris from the collapse. BMS CAT^® worked 2 – 12 hour shifts per day with in excess of 100 people per shift. Debris was removed as well as all damaged contents. The HVAC system was detail cleaned and the remaining structure and contents completely decontaminated. Century 21 was the first retail establishment to reopen in the direct vicinity of the Twin Towers collapse.

The Pentagon Library is located within the center ring of the Pentagon, the world’s largest office building. On September 11, 2001 terrorists attacked this facility by crashing a commercial jetliner into the building. The nose gear of the plane actually penetrated the first four rings of the Pentagon and hit the back wall of the library. Smoke and water damage affected the entire library which housed more than 250,000 bound volumes, 2,000,000 pieces of micro-graphics, classified and confidential records, historical military documents, more than 100 computer workstations and a dedicated server room.

As a result of reconstruction efforts directly resulting from the Northridge Earthquake, water damage was sustained on the interior of the Oviatt Memorial Library - Automated Storage Retrieval System Archive (ASRS). This facility was equivalent to three stories in height and had a floor square footage of 14,000 SF. Water damage was manifested in the form of active mold colonies on books and archival materials stored in the ASRS individual steel storage bins. Since the water leaked in from the floor above (which was exposed to the weather since the two upper floors were damaged by the earth quake and subsequently removed), it ran along steel supports and framework of the ASRS system. This made it necessary to search each bin to determine whether damage was present and the extent of the damage. Due to the age of some mold colonies, various types of mold were present in testing samples including several types of mold considered to be Toxic to humans. For this reason, the entire cleanup was performed in Level C personnel protection under negative air containment.

As the work was performed, BMS CAT^® personnel became familiar with the computer system necessary to operate the ASRS. Once the training was complete, BMS CAT^® was able to process the collection for recovery while also handling special requests form the library constituents; thereby, making the collection available to the student body during recovery. Since mold will grow on organic materials in the presence of high humidity conditions, there was not a large amount of direct water damage present. The vast majority of the collection was cleaned with HEPA vacuums, some volumes received additional hand cleaning and treatment with a sanitizing agent and less than five per cent of the collection required attention over and above the prescribed "on-site" protocol. There were more that 500,000 volumes contained in this facility.

In June of 2006 sever thunderstorms flooded a group of buildings that lie between Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues in the nation’s capital, this is commonly called the Federal Triangle.  One of the these buildings was what is commonly referred to as the Archives or Rotunda Building which belongs to the National Archive and Records Administration.  This is a historic, multi-story facility that houses some of the most important records of our history as a county.  More specifically, it houses the original Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights. These are often referred to as the "Charters of Freedom".

Severe street and sewer flooding literally filled the sub-basement, half of the basement and the outer mote that surrounds the building.  The National Archives building lost power when eight feet of water flooded the building and covered two transformers in the sub-basement. As such, the electrical switch gear and all air conditioning and indoor environmental controls were damaged by water and off-line for several days.  This required the basements and mote areas to be pumped and temporary electrical power to be brought in, in the form of generators.  Additionally, temporary lighting, desiccant dehumidification and air-conditioning were set up to stabilize the indoor environment.  This was for the purposes of not only drying the wet structural materials but to protect archival materials stored and displayed within the building due to high moisture levels.  Due to prior planning on the part of the National Archives and the rapid response of BMS CAT^®, there was no permanent damage to this historic building or any of the valuable records housed within.

The hospital complex was hit by multiple hurricanes that went across Florida in 2005. The facility sustained water intrusion which damaged the structure and contents. The project guidelines included complex remediation and infection control, dehumidification, debris removal and general cleaning. All work was done while the facility remained at a minimum of 90 percent occupied.

This landmark property located in downtown New Orleans suffered damage from Hurricane Katrina. High winds blew out windows in the ballroom causing flooding from rain to the ballroom and the floors below. The facility lost power which caused humidity levels to rise quickly providing ideal conditions for mold growth. BMS CAT^® was able to get into the property quickly with emergency generators to power the facility and help control the indoor environment. The property was able to remain open and became the headquarters for many of the local government and relief agencies providing recovery to New Orleans.

Project managers worked with the hotel management to maintain the hotel operations. Restoration work began immediately to ensure further structure and content damage did not occur. Desiccant dehumidification units were brought in to control moisture levels. Other services included content cleaning, structure cleaning and debris removal.

Super Typhoon Pongsona was the third strongest typhoon ever to strike Guam. Pongsona struck Guam with sustained winds of 144 mi/h, gusts to 173 mi/h, and a pressure of 934 mb. The 40 mile wide eye passed over the northern half of the island exposing the most populated areas to the eyewall with typhoon-force winds for up to five hours. Anderson Air Force Base was in the eye for two hours. Up to 26 inches of rain was reported.

Hyatt Regency Hotel - Guam
Damage to the property occurred when Typhoon Pongsona hit Guam. Portions of the roof were ripped off, windows were blown out and wind driven rain flood the facility. During the restoration the facility was occupied and work was performed in phases to avoid business interruption. BMS CAT^® provided structural drying, debris removal and mold remediation services. The project took approximately 6 months to complete.

Hilton Hotel - Guam
The Hilton Resort and Spa suffered damage following Super Typhoon Pongsona. Damage to the facility and grounds included water, mud, debris and subsequent mold growth. The restoration project was completed in phases to allow the facility to remain occupied with minimal interruption to ongoing operations. BMS CAT^® provided structural drying, debris removal, air system cleaning, disinfecting and mold remediation services. The project took approximately 3 months to complete.

Guam Memorial Hospital – Guam
Damage to the property occurred when Typhoon Pongsona hit Guam. Portions of the roof were ripped off, windows were blown out and wind driven rain flood the facility. During the restoration the facility was occupied and work was performed in phases to avoid business interruption. BMS CAT^® provided structural drying, debris removal, deodorization, disinfecting and mold remediation services. The project took approximately 6 months to complete.

The Avondale Textile Mill was subject to a third party train derailment resulting in a release of approximately 90 tons of chlorine gas. Immediate damage was caused to over 600,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing and production area. Third party testing revealed elevated chloride levels in the form of oxidation and corrosion and that the corrosion was progressive. This damage was present on structural and mechanical surfaces, as well as on the production equipment. BMS CAT^® adhered to agreed protocols and performed corrosion control services throughout two production plants. BMS CAT^® performed services to mitigate and remediate the damage, including air washing, dehumidification, climate control, contaminant removal, HVAC and mechanical cleaning, surface neutralization, passivation and encapsulation.   The entire affected area was an estimated 3 football fields in length. The ceiling deck height was in excess of 40ft and production lines were in excess of 30 ft in height. BMS CAT^® systematically erected scaffolding to have access to the structure and machinery while Avondale Mills remained at some level of production throughout the entire process. The cleaned areas were partitioned off to control the temperature and humidity to eliminate further corrosion.  BMS CAT^® had around 600 employees working around the clock to get the company back in operation. BMS CAT^® successfully passed established clearance standards and completed the project to the customer’s satisfaction.

An electrical fire forced smoke and soot through the conduit and other building penetrations into the 60,000 square foot facility. Severe thermal damage occurred in the electrical room, and the first and second floors received soot and smoke damage in degrees varying from medium to light. Due to the nature of the fire, the soot fallout was corrosive, necessitating prompt response from BMS CAT^®. Our local responder was on the scene and working within hours of the fire and a full crew was mobilized including Technicians, Project Manager, Superintendent, and Chief Scientist within 24 hours. Restoration included structural cleaning, odor removal, general content cleaning, and electronic restoration. The project was completed in seven days.

A steam line rupture caused the sprinklers to discharge in 3 buildings and more than 16 floors in height. This caused flooding and instant corrosion of the electrical switching gear and transformers, affecting asbestos wrapped equipment and lead based paint surfaces in an area in about the size of a football field. The machine shop area was also flooded, affecting machine tools, spare parts, and tool kits in an area 150'x100'sq.ft. The customer requested an assessment team to inspect for electronic and machine tool damages. BMS Cat personnel that entered the steamed discharge area were required to be certified and to use respirators and personal protective equipment. This was a six month remediation project that still allowed production to continue by partitioning off the affected areas.

An explosion in the PVC processing building and subsequent fire shut down this critical manufacturing operation. Having previously done work for this company at another location, BMS CAT^® was called in to help get the plant back in operation. Time was critical so BMS CAT^® personnel worked around the clock in two shifts. Due to the manufacturing requirements for food grade cleanliness, BMS CAT^® not only cleaned the structure but the pneumatic product system and the storage tanks had to be meticulously cleaned inside and out. Also, all of the automatic process­ing control panels, as well as the manufacturing machinery, underwent corrosion control. BMS CAT^® mobilized in less than 24 hours. Seventeen supervisors and 125 cleaning technicians completed the project in 14 calendar days; and the plant was back in operation in record time.

During Hurricane Katrina, this New Orleans hospital was flooded and suffered wind damage breaching the interior envelope. BMS CAT^® performed mold remediation services, demolition, and sanitization of structure and contents. Additional service was provided for patient records, archival files and administration documents. BMS CAT^® packed out water-damaged medical records and X-rays for freeze-drying, cleaning and sterilization. We relocated all dry medical records and files to an offsite record center and organized for future use. The project was completed in five months.

A malfunction in the evaporator cooling system released excessive moisture which caused the ideal environment for mold and mildew to grow. Growth was on books as well as the library structure. BMS CAT^®’s scope of work included decontamination of the HVAC system, walls, ceiling, carpet, and fixtures. Decontamination of contents included books, media, shelving, electronics, and hard surface furniture. In addition, before and after testing was completed to insure spore removal and accomplish decontamination.

Hurricane Fran damaged Wrightsville Beach Elementary School to a point the Health Dept. determined it unsafe to occupy. BMS CAT^® desiccant dehumidification team dried the 5,000 square foot facility in less than one week removing almost 600 gallons of moisture a day from the building contents and structural materials. Because of the time lag between the hurricane and the dehumidification process, mold growth contaminated the entire school and both structure and contents were affected. Following desiccant dehumidification, BMS CAT^® cleaned and decontaminated the structure and contents to remove all mold contamination.

A fire that occurred in a high-rise office building in north Dallas totaled the tenant’s space on the 12th floor and spread soot throughout the remainder of the building. The telecommunications tenants who occupied the lower floors needed to return to their offices quickly, so they retained BMS CAT^® to perform the required restoration services for the contents within their office space. BMS CAT^®’s Chief Scientist performed onsite testing and implemented protocols for the electronics recovery. Crews of 15 Electronics Technicians, 10 General Restoration Supervisors, and up to 80 cleaning labors were able to meet required deadlines on a daily basis and get our customer back in business on schedule.

Hurricanes pounded the coastal states over several weeks resulting in severe community wide flooding to homes and businesses. Floodwaters disabled this communications switching station resulting in business interruption. BMS CAT^® performed certified electronic cleaning on cables located in sub-flooring, water removal and dehumidification to allow service to be restored to the community.

A fire in the Target store's stockroom burned for three hours causing extensive soot fallout throughout the 100,000 sq. ft. building. Damage was estimated at several hundred thousand dollars. The following day BMS CAT^® mobilized 175 employees to perform all structure and content cleaning services. Within 72 hours all services had been completed. The doors were opened to the public with seventy-five percent of all products available while remaining inventory was being shipped in restocking. Restoration services included all walls, floors, ceilings, shelving, seven air con­ditioning systems, deodorization, and cleaning of all products which had been shelved at the time of the fire.

A fire damaged property and the Base Headquarters building. BMS CAT^® provided emergency services by extracting all of the standing water and placing salvageable furniture up on blocks for preservation, and ultimately removed all furniture from the building. Classified documents were immediately frozen sent to one of our document processing centers for restoration under military guard. Approximately 500 pieces of high tech electrical equipment was processed through the BMS CAT^® EDP cleaning protocols.