How University of Iowa researchers adapted after a 2023 tornado destroyed their lab
This is the second story in a brief series recounting the March 31, 2023, tornadoes that struck Johnson County.
It was late into a Friday afternoon on March 31, 2023. Researchers at the University of Iowa's James Street Laboratory had wrapped up early and gone home.
Fierce winds and rain quickly blanketed the area. An EF-2 tornado followed, tearing through the laboratory. The damage was extensive, mangling a large part of the hydrological research space used by the UI IIHR Hydroscience & Engineering program.
A portion of the roof was sheared off, destroying the small office space and nearby bathroom. Vehicles were crushed under steel, and another was turned on its side.
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Research interrupted
About half of the space used for hydrologic research—roughly 150 feet by 100 feet—was damaged, dismantling models researchers built for a California river project. They'd been working on the project for more than 18 months.
Each model was roughly 100 feet long and 40 feet wide, containing nearly 300 tons of sand and 100,000 gallons of water. IIHR Hydroscience & Engineering associate director Troy Lyons said the project only had a few months left before the tornado ripped through.
Lyons said they were "very lucky" that it was an early day for the research team. Had the tornado arrived earlier that day or if researchers stayed late, he said, anywhere from three to 10 people could have been in the small, commercial warehouse-like building.
"There were plenty of Fridays where we had people there all the way up through the end of the day," Lyons said. "And most days we did, but with the nature of testing, some days you're testing and (working) long hours and other days you're processing data which could be done off-site or somewhere else."
The research team felt fortunate once the rain and wind dissipated. One of the two models was still operational despite extensive damage to the building.
"It could have been worse if it happened at the beginning (of the project) for example," Lyons said. "That would have been more devastating. Or, if the tornado had tracked another 50 feet to one side in one direction, it would have taken out probably the whole building above both of the models, which would have been a lot worse."
IIHR occupies buildings throughout the Iowa City area, including those on the Oakdale campus and Research Park in northern Coralville, as well as those near the Stanley Hydraulics Lab.
Lyons said the institute has considered uniting all those sites over the years. For now, they will continue to occupy the James Street building once reconstruction is complete. The University of Iowa was gifted the James Street building in 2003, where they've enjoyed success in a space that has "served us really well" for the past 20 years, Lyons said.
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Storm forces researchers to pivot
Lyons said contractors worked to "temporarily recover" the space through the summer and into the fall. They installed temporary walls and ceilings while trailers were brought in to provide heat and bathroom facilities.
In September, six months after the tornado ravaged the building, researchers returned to finish their work, using their remaining model.
The two models were being used to study how to best move fish past a dam in the Santa Clara River, a body of water where underwater sediment piles up and blocks fish's free movement. Each model had a particular purpose, and they were not identical. The destruction forced the team to pivot, Lyons said.
Researchers opted to use numerical modeling, an inferior method, instead of conducting physical experiments for their research.
"We weren't able to do all the work that we had planned to do but we were able to finish out and still get some valuable information for the sponsor of the project," Lyons said.
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Reconstruction set to wrap by end of 2024 with eye to future
Reconstruction is moving along at the University of Iowa's James Street Laboratory. It is set to be completed by the end of the year.
The interior is also in need of a new sprinkler system, new fiber optic cable integration and a new bathroom space.
Lyons said another California-based spillway project will go into the James Street location in the coming months.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: UI researchers continue to rebuild lab destroyed by 2023 tornado
