By: Tiffany Wong
Students at Milligan College were under tornado warnings until 1:45 AM Thursday morning. The tornado that had wreaked destruction in Alabama and Mississippi was now miles close to campus.
Students sought shelter from the storm in the basements of their residences, the Gregory Center, Milligan College Library, and the Fieldhouse
With the use of campus-wide emails, the alert system, texts, and word of mouth, no accidents were reported on campus.
Earlier in the day, Vice President of Student Development Mark Fox , sent a campus-wide email informing the students, “significant weather changes are headed towards our region.” The gust of winds and lighting storm reached Milligan College by 11:00 PM.
Director of Residence Life and Housing Kate Anderson, sent out another campus-wide email at 11:03 PM that informed students Carter County was now under tornado warning.
“We herded everyone in and opened the Gregory Center and the Fieldhouse,” said Ed, a security guard on campus. “It’s mild now, but we’re waiting.”
Meanwhile, resident assistants ushered people to the basements as well.
“We had the alarms in place, so everything went smoothly. The emails went out fast, and people started filling the basement within minutes,” said Cara Beth Quisenberry, an RA in Sutton Hall.
Many students were pleased with the performance of the RAs.
“They were informative and didn’t give us reasons to freak out, ” said sophomore, Sutton resident Alexa Higgins.
“I keep thinking this is one of the strangest nights at Milligan,” said senior Sidney Burns. “We’re used to doing what we want, when we want. And right now we are at the mercy of God and the weather.” in the basement of Sutton. “I glad the intercom system worked, but Milligan should let people know what is expected of them during a situation like this. If they communicate ahead of time then communication during the storm would be easier.”
“Travis Weeks, Resident Director of Webb, handled the situation very well. The alarms sounds went off,” said sophomore David Tedder. “He instructed us to go to the fieldhouse or go inside the hallways and cover our heads.”
Before the campus warnings, Tedder and some friends went on a storm chase on Interstate 26. “The wind was blowing our car, and we saw the tornado,” said Tedder.
At 12:15 AM Thursday, the students were allowed to leave the basements and go to their residents.
“People were pouring out of the library basement and the Gregory Center,” said Emma Rees, a witness in the Library basement.
At 12:58 AM the alert system sounded again and students were urged to seek refuge in the basement of the building. Milligan was under tornado warning until 1:45 AM.
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