Listen Here
By: Olivia Wile
Twitter: o_wile
Email: wileo@findlay.edu
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Although flooding remains an issue, the city of Findlay experienced more than just heavy rain this past weekend. On the evening of Sunday, Nov. 5, a tornado reportedly touched down near Melrose and Crystal Avenues around 4 p.m.
No injuries were reported, but the Findlay area suffered severe damage. While Findlay schools were closed Monday, Nov. 6 due to the damage, the University of Findlay remained open. Although the damage around campus was minor, UF still had some cleanup to do after the storm.
UF Chief of Police, William Spraw says Campus Security has been monitoring the situation since the storm stopped.
“Last night, once the sirens stopped, we went around and looked for damage and what could be a hazard to students,” Chief of Police William Spraw said on Monday.
Earlier that morning, Vice President of Student Affairs David Emsweller sent out a UF Update addressing the situation. “The UF campus itself sustained only minor damage, but there are a few areas without power.”
The Kholer Center and Davis Street Buildings were among those with partial power, while houses on Foulke Ave. had no power. Emsweller also notes that AEP was working to restore power and that temporary housing would be provided to residents of campus houses impacted by damage. Power was restored at the Kholer Center by 1 p.m. on Monday.
After making rounds through UF and checking on students living in dorms and on-campus houses, Spraw says Campus Security is just about finished dealing with storm related issues.
“We’re pretty much back to normal,” Spraw said. “The most busy right now is facility clean up.”
Julia Snell, a sophomore psychology student from Canada, lives off campus on Midland Avenue. She explains her experience during the storm.
“This was my first tornado experience,” Snell said. “It was kind of scary to hear the sirens going off in Findlay and seeing the power flick on and off repetitively.”
As Spraw has been working in the city of Findlay for 29 years, he says this is the first storm he has experienced of this nature.
“Not tornado, but high wind and ice storms,” he said.
WTOL reports that the northern side of the city experienced most of the damage with Ralphie’s restaurant and other businesses near Trenton Avenue getting the most impact.
