Work slows as construction crews prep for Tropical Storm Cindy

Immigrant construction workers, who all moved here from Mexico, build a house off West 23rd Street Friday, Feb. 24, 2017 in Houston. ( Michael Ciaglo / Houston Chronicle ) Immigrant construction workers, who all moved here from Mexico, build a house off West 23rd Street Friday, Feb. 24, 2017 in Houston. ( Michael Ciaglo / Houston Chronicle ) Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Staff Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Staff Image 1 of / 11 Caption Close Work slows as construction crews prep for Tropical Storm Cindy 1 / 11 Back to Gallery

Construction work will come to a halt in Houston on Wednesday as builders and contractors literally tie down lose ends and send workers home ahead of the possible overnight arrival of Tropical Storm Cindy.

Although forecasts call for the worst of the storm to strike far from Houston, the local construction industry remains vigilant to dodge the damage incurred during infamous episodes of inclement weather.

"We learned a lot from Rita and Ike," said Kim Mason, director of safety services at the Associated General Contractors of Houston. "We learned to never underestimate how high the water will get. We lost a lot of computers, a lot of electronics. We had a lot of equipment float away, including trailers."

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That's why, Mason said, every contractor and builder in Houston has a checklist of storm preparation protocols that should be fully checked off by the end of Wednesday.

Mike Dishberger, owner of Sandcastle Homes and a former president of the Greater Houston Builders Association, said he held a staff meeting Monday to run through the steps to battening down the hatches at work sites.

"Work slows down to a crawl," he said. "We pretty much spend the day picking up debris. That's pretty much what we're doing today"

Crews scour the ground for any small object that could "act like missiles" in tropical storm-force winds, he said, then they empty dumpsters and tack plywood onto any home frames that might need structural support in the storm.

On the day of the storm, most workers won't show up for work, he said.

At larger commercial construction sites, preparations can be more complex.

Crews strap down the trailer offices where plans are housed so they don't float away. They relocate computers and heavy equipment and fuel tanks, then hand plywood on the project where necessary.

Nonessential personnel are dismissed to weather the storm. In extreme cases, Mason said, generator trucks may be sent to the homes of essential personnel so they can do essential computer work during the storm.

In other cases, Mason said, the biggest local builders may fly in out-of-state work crews that can tend to the work site while the local laborers are at home with their families during the storm.