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Storms kill at least 32 nationwide; Union U. giving thanks twister missed campus


NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–A major tornado hit Jackson, Tenn., for the second time since November and the third time since 1999, killing 14 people as part of a widespread system of tornadoes that killed at least 32 people nationwide May 4-5. The storms packed winds of at least 100 mph, golf-ball sized hail, heavy rains and severe lightning.

The Jackson tornado caused heavy damage to the Jackson Fairgrounds, the Carl Perkins Civic Center and the Jackson Police Department headquarters, The Jackson Sun reported May 5. Downtown landmarks such as St. Luke’s Church, the U.S. Post Office and others were also severely damaged, and a residential area just outside downtown was significantly affected. The county was declared a state of emergency by local authorities and a curfew was instituted.

At Union University, a Tennessee Baptist-affiliated school in Jackson that sustained more than $2 million in damage last fall, students once again found themselves taking shelter in bathrooms and hiding in bathtubs.

“My first thought, quite honestly, was that this can’t be happening again,” said Emily Price, a senior social work major from Chattanooga, Tenn. Price’s car, along with many others sitting in the student parking lots, received damage from high winds and baseball-size hail. No injuries have been reported.

Union President David S. Dockery said that the storm, which struck the city around 11 p.m., stayed south of the campus, limiting the extent of the damage to the university, which included at least 130 badly damaged cars and several broken windows. While the power remained on, a local water treatment plant in Jackson was hit by the storm, and people were being discouraged from drinking the water for the next 24 hours. The university is giving away bottled water, soft drinks and fruit drinks to students until the water problem is fixed by the local utility.

Dockery admitted that it was an eerie feeling to come back to campus and survey the damage, just as he had in November.

“I got to the campus this morning about 12 a.m., and the students were out, checking on their cars and each other, just like last time,” Dockery said. “We intentionally tried to do some of the things we did before, like meeting this morning as a campus body, to pray and give thanks for God’s providential protection for our campus. We also thanked the staff for their excellent work last night in taking care of the students and making sure everyone was safe.”

John Phillips, a junior from Brownsville, Tenn., was with 30 other Union students in one of the fraternity houses on campus when the storm hit.

“We piled up the couches against the windows in the hall and just waited it out,” Phillips said. “We heard a lot of hail and then the wind picked up. Next thing we knew one of the windows had fallen in, and we saw hail the size of golf balls coming into the house. Then everything seemed to calm down.”

Monday classes were canceled, giving those on campus a chance to help in other parts of the city that suffered greater damage. Jackson’s daily newspaper, The Jackson Sun, located downtown, had to temporarily move its operation to Union’s campus in order to get Monday’s issue out after its building facilities lost power overnight.

“We’ve got people helping all over the city which says volumes about the character of students and employees,” Dockery said. “We want to give back to those in our city who helped us so much last fall.”

The students and administration are thankful for the safety of their campus, but concerned for those who have felt the greater impact of this weekend’s storm.

“Every time we have severe weather, my thought has always been that God’s a loving God, and he’s not going to let [a tornado] happen again like back in November,” Price said. “But it did happen, and my first response is ‘How could you do this to us?’ But at the same time, God’s still God, and he’s still good, and even though I can’t always understand, I can be thankful for what didn’t happen.

“I can’t be selfish and think ‘How could God hit Union twice?’ and no one got hurt, when there are people who have died across town ….”

Elsewhere in Tennessee, residents faced similar damage. In Dyersburg in extreme west Tennessee, Joe Wright, director of missions for the Dyer Baptist Association, said three distinct paths of destruction ripped through the small town.

“At this point we don’t know how many tornadoes there were or if it was just straight line wind damage,” Wright said. “The situation is perilous for many people.”

Wright reported that destruction surrounded Southside Baptist Church but the church itself was remarkably untouched. He also said relief efforts were being coordinated by the association, consisting of chainsaw crews and cleanup teams. First Baptist Church of Dyersburg was working with the Red Cross to distribute meals.

Also in west Tennessee, the Weakley County Baptist Association reported damage to Adams Chapel Missionary Baptist Church.

“The tornado hit a mile and a half away, but a section of shingles blew off the educational building,” said Larry Reagan, pastor of Adams Chapel.

Reagan said three adult Sunday School rooms and one-quarter of the sanctuary sustained water damage. The church was having trouble making repairs because local resources were being directed to other damaged sites throughout the area.

Damage also was reported in Murfreesboro in middle Tennessee, but the Rutherford Baptist Association had not learned of any damage to Baptist churches in the area and was on standby to help with relief efforts if called upon. Similarly, damage occurred in Clarksville but did not include Baptist churches.
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