85 MPH Gusts Downed Trees, Covered Campus in Debris
Hurricane strength winds uprooted trees and caused an 18-hour power outage on campus 10 years ago, forcing the cancellation of classes and resulting in a yeoman effort in cleaning up the campus.
PICTURED: In 2008, freshman Rachel Kent, junior Angie Lauver and freshman Samantha Lacey survey the storm damage on campus from Ground Zero.
The Sunday afternoon (Sept. 14, 2008) storm packed sustained winds of 40 miles-an-hour with gusts recorded as high as 85 MPH, according to the National Weather Service station in Wilmington.
College officials canceled Monday classes when it appeared likely that power would not be fully restored by morning.
The most unusual windstorm was the result of remnants of Hurricane Ike, which pummeled the Texas coast, joining forces with a cold front from Canada. Numerous trees were uprooted and debris was strewn throughout the campus, but structural damage to campus buildings was minimal and no injuries were reported.
A large tree was uprooted near College Hall, as were others along Elm St., in Williams Stadium and on Collett Mall. Also, branches and other debris literally blanketed the campus. The football goal posts were slightly twisted and the light poles on the soccer field swayed precariously in the wind during the storm. Austin-Pickett Hall sustained a few broken windows and roof shingles blew off Friends Hall. Also, flying debris damaged numerous parked cars on campus.
The storm’s aftermath witnessed the campus coming together as, instead of students sleeping in and faculty/staff staying home on their day off, many rallied together in cleaning up the campus and readying it for the next day’s full operation.
Then-President Dan DiBiasio said the College’s core values of service and community were readily evident during the ordeal.
“While the storm came up surprisingly quickly and packed sustained hurricane force winds for nearly four hours, the campus response was anything but surprising,” he said. “Thanks to the voluntary efforts of many students, faculty and staff, we were quickly back to normal.”
