By Asa Terhune
Staff Reporter
The University of Memphis didn't face anything as drastic as the rest of the city because of Tuesday's storm.
Bruce Harber, who handles emergency situations for The University, said that compared to the city -- "We were fortunate."
The storm ripped through the campus, downing trees and powerlines, knocking over garbage cans and leaving limbs and debrie throughout The University.
Street lights were knocked out along Poplar and Patterson forcing drivers to deal with that while avoiding fallen limbs.
Along Zach Curlin police turned riders back because of down wires. Addionally, there were large limbs diverting traffic on Patterson and on Goodman by the soccer field. Physical plant workers scrambled to clear the way.
The storm knocked all power out at Richardson Towers and Carpenter Complex, as well as South Campus. Power to Carpenter Complex was restored that same day.
The Child Care Center also lost power. It is closed until Memphis Light Gas and Water (MLGW) restores power.
But The University was lucky, Harber said , because the majority of The University did not lose power. The power sources for most of The Univeristy of Memphis are located underground.
At first, the campus was only going to be closed for a short period, but Harber and U of M President Shirley Raines decided to close it all day because of the condition of the rest of the city.
Student Kellie Rahija, on campus for a chemistry test, was glad to hear the news.
"We have a big tree in our yard," Rahija said.
Rahija said she was anxious to get home and clean up the damage.
Despite the fact that some students and faculty were already here when the storm struck, there were no deaths. One custodian had minor injuries when a door blew out in Brister.
Water damage was limited to Brister and Smith Chemistry building.
A gas leak caused a university rental home on Deloach to be evacuated, but the school plugged it until the city could deal with the problem, according to Jim Hellums, assistant bice president, Physical Plant.
Robbie Chapman, a custodian, was working inside of Mitchell hall when the storm happened.
"All I saw was the wind and rain and the two doors flopping open, " she said.
Lights began flickering on and off and doors began swinging back and forth at Richardson Towers when the storm occurred, said student and desk worker Kevin A. Brown.
Camps staying at Richardson Towers were moved to other dormitories.
Two officers were added for the day, but Harber found them to be unnecessary.
Harber is unaware of any reports of car damage. There may be some minor damage, he said, but no trees fell through cars.
A day after the storm, it was business as usual at Police Services, according to Harber.
Physical Plant employees will check trees for cracks or further damage, Hellums said.
"You may have a falling tree for the next two or three days," he said.
According to Hellums, Richardson Towers and South Campus will have their power restored by MLGW. He said it could be two or three days or up to a week.
Downed power lines and broken street lights are also the responsibility of the city, he said.
The only thing left for the Physical Plant to do, Hellums said, is clean up the limbs and leaves.
Overall, he said, "things turned out pretty well."
See student and local reaction to the storm on Page 6.
