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Features: August 19, 2002
Rensselaer Responds to Damaging Storm
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Trish Galvin |
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Rensselaer responded through the night on
Thursday, Aug. 15, and into the early morning hours the
next day to a violent storm that tore through campus, ripping
off roofs of residence halls, downing lines, and uprooting
trees.
Thankfully, no one was hurt.
Most of the damage took place on the eastern
part of campus. The roof was blown off of Thompson Hall.
The storm also caused roof damage to McGiffert Hall. Rain
soaked the third floors of the residence halls, causing
water damage to rugs, walls, and furniture.
No other campus buildings sustained significant
damage.
Some families in married student housing
were evacuated because of power loss Thursday night. They
were relocated to the Best Western Hotel in Troy and were
able to return to their homes on campus the following afternoon.
Rensselaer staff worked through the night,
removing downed trees and securing the buildings. In the
morning, repair work began on the roofs of the affected
residence halls.
That work should be completed by Wednesday, Aug. 21. Until
then, students assigned to Thompson and McGiffert halls
have been temporarily relocated.
The ability of the campus to respond to
such emergencies was tested again Friday morning when a
gas line was broken on 15th Street. Many buildings on campus
were closed down, including Academy Hall, the Low Center
for Industrial Innovation building, and the Mueller Center.
The campus was fully up and running by 11 a.m.
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