Saturday, January 08, 2000
Tornado cleanup closes college
Wesleyan may open later this month
BY KRISTINA GOETZ
The Cincinnati Enquirer
OWENSBORO — The 700-plus students at Kentucky Wesleyan College won't begin spring semester Monday. The tornado that swept Owensboro this week saw to that.
Exactly when the spring semester will start at the private, liberal arts Methodist college is anybody's guess.
By the time classes do start, the historic president's house may be razed and groundbreaking for a campus community center may be pushed well into the future.
Preliminary estimates show the college sustained $4.5 million to $5 million in damages after the tornado left trees splintered and buildings in shambles Monday night. It damaged 2,277 homes citywide; left 15 injured; and caused widespread power outages, some of which persist.
Kathryn Farmer, a school spokeswoman, said every building on campus has some damage. The president's home, built in 1922, may have to be razed. It once belonged to the Massie family, who farmed the land and then donated it when the college moved to Owensboro in 1951.
“It has a lot of history, so I personally would hate to see it razed; but if it's structurally unsafe, we may have to,” she said.
“It will be the 17th at the earliest before students can return, but that is not a concrete date,” Ms. Farmer said. “There is quite a bit of cleanup we are unable to do until we get power.”
Kentucky Wesleyan President Wesley H. Poling said workers “need more time to clear the campus of debris and get the buildings ready to be occupied, but be assured we will be back open as soon as possible.”
A handful of students were on campus when the tornado hit Monday. Many are staying with relatives and friends.
“What we're asking students to do rather than call us is to listen to the media for information about when school will start,” Ms. Farmer said. “What we do want students to know is not to come back to school on Monday.”
The school also has formed a
telephone bank. A group of administrators is attempting to contact every student by phone, initially to tell them of the storm and later to let them know when classes begin.
There was damage to two dorms, but students' belongings had to be removed from only five rooms. Buildings that house classrooms were minimally damaged.
“Our biggest concern is President's Hall,” Ms. Farmer said. “It houses the library, along with a computer lab and our cafeteria that feeds 700 students three times a day.
“That building at this point is not structurally safe. We're going to have to make some arrangements for students to use our library services and for food.”
Debris blew in the windows and on the outer area of the building there is water damage.
“We feel like the library contents are all right,” Ms. Farmer said. “And we moved all computers and servers out into a dry storage place in another part of campus.”
The college is 21/2 years into a 5-year $20-million capital improvements campaign. They now have $13 million worth of pledges, and groundbreaking for a campus community center was only six weeks away.
“I don't know if that will happen yet,” Ms. Farmer said. “I don't know if any of the funds will be redirected. We are going to rely heavily on insurance.”
On Wednesday, Gov. Paul Patton declared a state of emer gency for the area and asked federal officials to declare it a disaster area. Six teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency arrived in Owensboro on Thursday to begin assessing the situation.
They were looking to see what needs of residents, businesses and local governments weren't being met, said Patricia Seaman, an emergency management program specialist from FEMA's Atlanta office who was coordinating the effort.
At Wesleyan, spirits are high, Ms. Farmer said, adding that the college will persevere.
Officials knew that just moments after the tornado had gone. When some emerged from the administration building it was turning dusk and there was no electricity.
“One light on campus was still shining and it was the cupola,” Ms. Farmer said. “It signified the college is strong. We've made it through adversity before and we'll get through this.”
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