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Jeff Forman/JForman@News-Herald.com
Sister Diana Stano, president of Ursuline College, talks to reporters Tuesday about the tornado that damaged the school's athletic facility Saturday.
Jeff Forman/JForman@News-Herald.com
Cleanup and assessment continue Tuesday at the torando-damaged O'Brien Athletic Center at Ursuline College in Pepper Pike.
Ursuline College in Pepper Pike has begun restoration efforts after a tornado touched down on campus early Saturday morning.
At 3:30 a.m. Saturday, an EF1 tornado with winds of 110 mph came through the woods, hit the athletic building, and went over a lake on the campus.
It is estimated that debris spread for two miles.
The O'Brien Athletic Center has severe damage, with one wall collapsed and part of the roof destroyed.
In total, four buildings were affected by the storm. The Dauby Science Center and the Besse Library have roof and water damage.
The Mullen Administration Building only had minor roof damage.
"I am most grateful to God that nobody was hurt and there were no injuries on campus," Sister Diana Stano, college president, said at a news conference Tuesday morning. "It was probably the least occupied time on this campus ever in its history."
Eight people were on campus when the tornado hit.
"We just finished summer camps for students, we had students living in residence halls ... (and) we had students staying overnight in the gym the Thursday before this happened," Stano said.
Living areas on campus had only minor damage, with only some broken windows and power outages. Continued...
"What we haven't yet determined is the extent of the damage on the O'Brien Athletic Center because (engineers) don't know whether the (building) is structurally sound," Stano said.
Ursuline was just accepted as an active NCAA Division II school earlier this month.
"We will have an operating athletic department this year," she said. "Everything will be going on as scheduled, and we will continue ... (to make sure) athletics is still occurring this school year."
College officials are unsure of what insurance will cover, but they are sure it won't cover everything, such as the trees that were uprooted by the storm, so they have started an Ursuline Rebuilding Fund that the community can donate to.
Stano said there has been outstanding community support, with police departments, fire departments, restoration crews, and others coming to aid as early as 4 a.m. the morning the tornado hit.
People from all over the state, nation, and other countries have shown their support for the Ursuline College community, she said.
"We are very grateful for the outpouring of well wishes, prayers, and offerings of support," Stano said.
Summer classes have been moved to safe locations, but summer camps at Ursuline have been cancelled.
"Our No. 1 concern is safety, to make sure our campus is safe," Stano said.
Tree removal, restoration and rebuilding will continue through the rest of the summer. Continued...
"We continue to be very strong," she said. "This is a community of faith, I believe that we will continue and God will continue to bless and reward us for all good that we do."
For more information about Ursuline College and how to donate to the Ursuline Rebuilding Fund, visit www.ursuline.edu.
Source: http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2013/07/23/news/nh7288708.txt
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