With the number of posts on this blog continually growing concerning the recent tornado and its aftermath, I thought I would take a moment and organize the posts a little better for you.
1. This link will take you to all Jackson, TN tornado related posts.
2. This link will take you to all Jackson, TN tornado pictures and video.
3. This link will take you to Jackson, TN informational posts regarding the tornado.
4. This link will take you to thought provoking questions and answers concerning the "why's" of the Jackson, TN tornado damage and destruction (mainly dealing with God).
5. This link is a direct link to the Union University Recovery website where Union staff (Tim Ellsworth) has been faithful to update the students and public on the going-ons concerning the recovery process for Union in these days following the tornado disaster.
Please continue to pray for our community and help out in any way you can.
Showing posts with label Tornado Information. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tornado Information. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
The Blessings Keep Flowing
The Union community was strengthened on Sunday by taking time to gather with our various congregations across the area on Sunday to praise God for his faithfulness and to thank him for his goodness and mercy to us...
A major step forward toward finding housing for Union students took place on Sunday evening when the Englewood Baptist Church voted unanimously to allow us to use the Old English Inn for residence life space this spring (and next fall if necessary). For this amazing gift we are grateful...
You can read the rest here.
A major step forward toward finding housing for Union students took place on Sunday evening when the Englewood Baptist Church voted unanimously to allow us to use the Old English Inn for residence life space this spring (and next fall if necessary). For this amazing gift we are grateful...
You can read the rest here.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
I Watched Heroes Do What Heroes Do
This is the title of a journal entry by Ben Dockery, son of David Dockery, campus minister to Union University.
Timmy Brister recieved an email from Ben and here is an excerpt from that email:
My friends,
“I watched heroes do what heroes do…”
That was the name of one of the best ‘journal’ entries I have ever written. At 3:15 a.m., about 8 hours after we stormed onto campus minutes after the skipping tornado bounced through campus, I sat in bed after visiting recovered students in the hospital and thought with my keyboard. Unfortunately, my computer died forty minutes into the streaming, and I lost the entry.
You can read more on Timmy Brister's site here.
Timmy Brister recieved an email from Ben and here is an excerpt from that email:
My friends,
“I watched heroes do what heroes do…”
That was the name of one of the best ‘journal’ entries I have ever written. At 3:15 a.m., about 8 hours after we stormed onto campus minutes after the skipping tornado bounced through campus, I sat in bed after visiting recovered students in the hospital and thought with my keyboard. Unfortunately, my computer died forty minutes into the streaming, and I lost the entry.
You can read more on Timmy Brister's site here.
Friday, February 8, 2008
More Official Updates From Union University
More on Ethopian Union Student Mikias Mohammed (featured in a post below marked by a picture of an arm with a hospital wristband) can be read here.
Government officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, visit Union University's campus. You can read about it here.
Union University President, Dr. David S. Dockery, expresses his heart for the displaced students and why they are of primary concern. You can read about this here.
Government officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, visit Union University's campus. You can read about it here.
Union University President, Dr. David S. Dockery, expresses his heart for the displaced students and why they are of primary concern. You can read about this here.
Moving To An Essentialist Mindset
The below is an excerpt taken from President Dr. David S. Dockery's daily Union update.
It is important for us to recognize that we must move to an "essentialist" mindset for the remainder of the spring semester. This is a different way of thinking about our work at Union University, but it will hopefully allow us to have the right framework to think about the many changes that are forthcoming, some of which, I am sure, we have yet even to consider.
Everyone continues to have a wonderful spirit of hopefulness as we face the challenging days ahead. We must think differently, even as we claim the same "Union spirit" that has been so important for our community in days past. Above all, we must continue to think in an "other-centered" way, so that we think about those things that are good for all, and those about us, even as we ultimately place our trust and hope in our providential God, who will guide us each step of the way.
You can read the rest here.
It is important for us to recognize that we must move to an "essentialist" mindset for the remainder of the spring semester. This is a different way of thinking about our work at Union University, but it will hopefully allow us to have the right framework to think about the many changes that are forthcoming, some of which, I am sure, we have yet even to consider.
Everyone continues to have a wonderful spirit of hopefulness as we face the challenging days ahead. We must think differently, even as we claim the same "Union spirit" that has been so important for our community in days past. Above all, we must continue to think in an "other-centered" way, so that we think about those things that are good for all, and those about us, even as we ultimately place our trust and hope in our providential God, who will guide us each step of the way.
You can read the rest here.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Luther Hall: Where Is It?
View Larger Map
If you are looking to volunteer tomorrow or Saturday, or wish to bring supplies as outlined on the UU Recovery site, look to the map above for where you should go.
Schedule of Events: Car Retrieval, Belongings Pick Up, Volunteer Help
The below is taken from the most current update on the UU Recovery site.
On Thursday, Feb. 7 our efforts will focus on helping students remove their vehicles from the campus.Students and parents should report to the Chi Omega house to work with student life teams to retrieve their vehicles between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
All personal belongings will be bagged and tagged so that students can retrieve their undamaged personal goods beginning on Feb. 18.Faculty, staff and community volunteers who want to participate in the cleanup process are encouraged to report to Luther Hall at the south end of the university campus at 9 a.m. on Friday and/or Saturday, Feb. 8-9.
Union University friends who wish to help our students during this time of crisis are encouraged to support the university through the designated disaster relief fund or by providing gift cards to Wal-Mart, Target, Lowe’s or Home Depot for our students. Please send all monetary and gift card donations to:
Union University Disaster Relief Fund
1050 Union University Drive
Jackson, TN 38305
Gifts of gloves, trash bags, rakes, shovels, wheelbarrows and other materials needed to assist with the cleanup should be taken to Luther Hall.
For more on ways you can help, click here.
For the most up to date information directly from Union, please see here.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Official Union University Emergency Information Site
Today A Day Of Assessment, Tomorrow A Day Of Work
Union University will launch a major clean-up effort Feb. 7 after taking a day to evaluate damage inflicted on the campus by a tornado that struck Jackson, Tenn., early the evening of Feb. 5.
"Today is a day of assessment," said Union President David S. Dockery in an open letter Feb. 6. "Initial efforts to help students return to their homes or to a safe place also have started today and will continue throughout the week. A major clean-up project will start on Thursday."
University officials also are at work drafting an "intermediate strategy" to help get classes underway again on Feb. 18, Dockery said, despite the fact that almost every building on campus sustained significant damage during the storm.
Fifty-one students were treated for injuries and nine were kept overnight in a local hospital, university spokesman Tim Ellsworth said. Seventeen buildings received some kind of damage, and the roof was torn off a main academic building. Student residences were almost completely destroyed. Thirteen students trapped in the rubble were free after a five-hour emergency effort.
"By God's providence, no lives were lost," Dockery said. As many as 3,300 students had been on campus earlier in the day before classes dismissed.
Dockery recalled a 2002 tornado that struck the campus, causing $2.6 million in damage, and said this one was "15 times worse than that." The process of rebuilding will be "lengthy and extensive," he said.
You can read the rest here.
You can keep up with what is going on at Union University here.
"Today is a day of assessment," said Union President David S. Dockery in an open letter Feb. 6. "Initial efforts to help students return to their homes or to a safe place also have started today and will continue throughout the week. A major clean-up project will start on Thursday."
University officials also are at work drafting an "intermediate strategy" to help get classes underway again on Feb. 18, Dockery said, despite the fact that almost every building on campus sustained significant damage during the storm.
Fifty-one students were treated for injuries and nine were kept overnight in a local hospital, university spokesman Tim Ellsworth said. Seventeen buildings received some kind of damage, and the roof was torn off a main academic building. Student residences were almost completely destroyed. Thirteen students trapped in the rubble were free after a five-hour emergency effort.
"By God's providence, no lives were lost," Dockery said. As many as 3,300 students had been on campus earlier in the day before classes dismissed.
Dockery recalled a 2002 tornado that struck the campus, causing $2.6 million in damage, and said this one was "15 times worse than that." The process of rebuilding will be "lengthy and extensive," he said.
You can read the rest here.
You can keep up with what is going on at Union University here.
Continuing Coverage Of The Tornado Aftermath
WNWS FM Newstalk Radio of Jackson, TN has been doing a great job of keeping the public up to date on the entire situation concerning the February 5, 2008 Tornado Devastation and it is being done in a very respectful way. It was good to have them on the air last night giving up to the second updates on the situation.
You can listen live to them as they continue to discuss the situation and give public notices concerning school closures, housing availability to those affected by the tornadoes, traffic conditions, calls from listeners, etc.
You can listen here.
You can visit their website here.
You can listen live to them as they continue to discuss the situation and give public notices concerning school closures, housing availability to those affected by the tornadoes, traffic conditions, calls from listeners, etc.
You can listen here.
You can visit their website here.
Union University Official Updates Concerning The Tornado Aftermath
Until Union University gets their website back online you can find official updates here.
More Damage To Union University From The 2008 Tornado
Union was hit extremely hard and prayer is definitely a worth while use of time. I don’t know how else to explain it, but when you look at the pictures of the destruction (and see it with your own eyes) it is nothing short of a miracle that no one died at Union.
We had several people over and we huddled in our basement and prayed for those at Union and around the surrounding areas. We recieved several text messages from students stating that dorms were collapsing along with others saying that people were trapped while others were okay. We are thankful to our Lord that no one died and that He did indeed answer our prayers.
I have here some pictures I took this morning of the damage around Union University in Jackson, TN. I have not been able to get an internet signal to post until now. The devestation is substantial and upon talking to officials on Union's campus, it appears that unoffically school may not start back up this semester as there is no where to house students. It is also estimated that 12 out of 16 or so buildings will need to be demolished due to damage. Please continue to pray for those who are affected by this.
You can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Tornadoes Hit My Alma Mater Yet Again
A powerful storm system with multiple tornadoes collapsed the roof of a mall in Memphis, trapping people inside, and trapped students in dormitories at a college in Jackson, the Nashville Tennessean reported on Tuesday.
A least one fatality was reported, the newspaper said, and other media reported dozens of injuries, some serious.
Our house is only about 6 miles from Union. We suffered no damage during the first wave. We have another one coming. Please pray for us. 9 students remain trapped at this hour at Union and the campus is completely demolished. Jennings Hall is without a roof, the dorms were demolished and miraculously no one has died there. There are other areas around the city that were hit hard such as a nursing home and others. Hopefully this next wave will not bring any more damage to our area. Tornadoes have hit Jackson back in 2003 and 1999 and brought about tremendous damage.
Please continue to pray for us and for those who will be affected by this for months to come. Thank you.
You can read more from Reuters here.
A least one fatality was reported, the newspaper said, and other media reported dozens of injuries, some serious.
Our house is only about 6 miles from Union. We suffered no damage during the first wave. We have another one coming. Please pray for us. 9 students remain trapped at this hour at Union and the campus is completely demolished. Jennings Hall is without a roof, the dorms were demolished and miraculously no one has died there. There are other areas around the city that were hit hard such as a nursing home and others. Hopefully this next wave will not bring any more damage to our area. Tornadoes have hit Jackson back in 2003 and 1999 and brought about tremendous damage.
Please continue to pray for us and for those who will be affected by this for months to come. Thank you.
You can read more from Reuters here.
You can read more from the Baptist Press here.
You can see some of the first pictures of the damage to Union University here.
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