By: Jonathan Weed and Sydney Young
An EF-2 tornado ripped across campus on the night of March 30, damaging several buildings and uprooting multiple large trees. Only one minor injury was reported. Most students were not on campus at the time because of spring break.
The most significant damage was to Vacca Hall, where an entire wall of the building collapsed. The 3D Art Building and Brooke Hall were also damaged.
Grace Varner lives in Brooke Hall and was on campus during the tornado. The tornado ripped off part of the residence hall’s roof, which caused water damage in her room.
“I went upstairs to check, and the only damage that was happening was like to my closet,” Varner said. “There was like water rushing out of my closet, but it wasn’t over the rest of the room. So the only thing really that got wet was my closet, my clothes and little in the bathroom, too.”
The university sent out a mass email to students and faculty on March 31 to inform them about the damage and when they could return to campus.
Residence halls opened on Sunday, April 3, and the UM resumed classes as scheduled on Monday, April 4.
Vallo Vision News 