The University of Texas Medical Branch, in Galveston, has suffered nearly $710-million in damage and other costs related to Hurricane Ike, and its staff should be prepared for “significant” layoffs, a top university official told the Austin American-Statesman this week.

The university system’s interim chancellor, Kenneth I. Shine, said that with the Medical Branch’s hospital and many other buildings out of action, the need to make payroll for the 12,000-member campus work force would quickly put the university in the red.

The hurricane, which struck the Texas coast four weeks ago and inundated parts of the campus in eight feet of water, cost the university $709.7-million in damage to buildings and infrastructure, lost equipment, cleanup, and other areas, according to a university estimate. The greatest expense, the university said, was the interruption in its operations and the consequent loss of revenue — a cost that it put at $276.4-million. Insurance could cover up to $100-million of the costs, the university said, and it is seeking help from federal and state sources as well.

State lawmakers said they would try to come up with a rescue plan to avert the threatened layoffs, according to the Houston Chronicle, which said the university was considering a staff cutback of one-third, or 4,000 employees.

Meanwhile, recovery on the campus continues. Nearly 2,000 students will return to the campus on October 20. Some will be housed at Texas A&M University at Galveston. The A&M program relocated to the College Station campus for the semester. Some Medical Branch researchers are also back at work, and more are to come by November. —Andrew Mytelka