Tornado-damaged university reaping blessings
Pete Chagnon - OneNewsNow - 2/5/2009 5:30:00 AM
More than 80 tornados were reported during the Super Tuesday outbreak on February 5, 2008. But one tornado caught national attention when it ripped through the campus of Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. Although 13 students were trapped in the rubble, miraculously nobody died.
The tornado caused over $40 million in damage and demolished student dormitories and damaged other campus buildings. Insurance covered all but $18 million in damage, but since then donations have been pouring in and recovery has been surprisingly quick.
Tim Ellsworth, director of news and media with Union University, shares the good news.
"The Lord certainly has had his hand upon Union over the last few months," he responds. "We were, at the start of the fall semester [2008], able to open 14 new student housing buildings [and we have] been able to complete repairs on pretty much every other building. The only thing we have left right now is a commons building that's under construction. That's pretty much the only thing that we have left to replace."
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God's blessings are obvious, says the university spokesman. "[N]obody thought on February 6 last year -- the day after the tornado -- that we would be where we are now," he says. "But the Lord has been gracious to us, and we are so thankful for it."
Besides being able to rebuild quickly and relatively debt-free, Union University has seen significant enrollment increase as well.
"Our enrollment for the fall semester was more than 3,700 students, which set a record for us," says Ellsworth. "I believe it was a 14 percent increase from the fall of 2007, which is remarkable. I mean, that is a substantial increase."
Ellsworth says the school has had more than 8,000 donors worldwide contribute to the recovery effort. Union University will be hosting a thanksgiving event on campus today with proceeds going to the recovery effort.
