North River Oaks Drive, off of Riverside Drive, in Indialantic was still blocked off a week after Irma hit. Photo by Mary Kozaitis
// MARY KOZAITIS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF The open plains of the Midwest are not the only places that experience severe tornadoes. They partially thrive off of wind shear, which is created by significant differences in wind speed and/or direction within a small distance in the atmosphere. Hurricanes offer the perfect environment for these conditions. The National Weather Service reported at least seven tornadoes in Brevard
County, during Hurricane Irma’s passing Sept. 10 - Sept. 12. Although authorities reported no injuries or fatalities, the tornadoes swept through with a wind speed of between 75-125 mph, depending on the location. The area most affected by a tornado was Kilbee St. in Mims, FL, about an hour north of Melbourne. It was hit at approximately 5:50 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 10. Homes on Kilbee St., Turnbull Rd. and Brevard St. were affected and some were left uninhabitable due
to severe roof damage. A number of trees were snapped and uprooted as the tornado continued northwest across Old Dixie Highway. The tornado dissipated shortly after crossing US Highway 1. Slightly weaker tornadoes touched down in Indialantic. The Director of Music Programs, Professor Kevin Burke, still had his street closed a week later, near where the Melbourne Causeway meets Riverside Drive. Irma’s forces left his property with roof,
gutter and fence damage, windburn, blown out screen panels, pulled up mailboxes and a now roofless shed. “We evacuated for the hurricane because I have three small children, ages two, four and six, so we did not witness a tornado ourselves,” Burke said. “But the talk in the neighborhood is that a small one went through because our street is noticeably worse and was the only one that was blocked off from the main CONTINUED ON 3
Lights linger out in Harris Commons Florida Tech football game vs. Shorter // ELEANOR MATHERS MANAGING EDITOR Harris Commons is home to some of the most important functions for Florida Tech’s community - and it was the last FIT building to receive power after Hurricane Irma. “Florida Power & Light Co. had technical issues with sending power to/from Harris Commons and was in contact with [Florida Tech] to reestablish power,” Gary Hamme, vice president for enrollment management and the representative for questions regarding the power outage, said. Hamme said that at one point FPL estimated that power wouldn’t be restored to the building until Sunday evening, however, it was luckily restored at approximately 11 p.m. Thursday after the hurricane passed. According to FPL’s website, approximately 30,000 customers were affected in Brevard county
and they had a record of 22,000 employees and contractors, working to restore service after Irma. The hurricane affected many functions on Florida Tech’s campus, but having Harris Commons down caused concern for potential issues. Harris Commons is the center for operations like campus services, career management services, student health insurance, and residence life and housing, which are all crucial for the Florida Tech community. Due to the concern that the outage would impact important student and community needs, staff from some of these departments were set up temporarily at Farmer Hall in Harris Village. Although Hamme stated that he wasn’t aware of any problems concerning students trying to contact departments, he said classes that were held in Harris CONTINUED ON 5
// DAVID THOMPSON STAFF WRITER After a tough loss last game against McNeese State University, the Panthers bounced back with a big 31-6 victory over Shorter University. Florida Tech’s running game exploded with 340 total yards on the ground, lead by junior running back, Antwuan Haynes, with 188 rushing yards.
“Antwuan finally started to go tonight,” Coach Steve Englehart said. “He really picked it up in the second half. He was getting big chunks of yards. Haynes is so dynamic. He is always the one when he touches the ball that can do something explosive.” Following last week's loss, Haynes said they felt like they could’ve played better. CONTINUED ON 7
Sekai Lindsay, number eight, running the ball during Saturday's game.
Photo by Mmusi Kevin Motsumi
The Florida Tech Crimson
Irma tornados hit Brevard County
Issue 3 September 19 Fall 2017