TORNADO COVERAGE: SPECIAL EDITION
THE A&T
FREE
VOLUME CII NO 19
REGISTER NCATREGISTER.COM
YARD, CULUTRE AND WORD EDITORS
East Greensboro suffered severe damage on Sunday, April 15, after a thunderstorm and tornado ripped through the 4 mile radius between Barbara Park and Phillips Avenue; this tornado was category EF2 (see category explanation on pg. 3). The devastation of the storm has displaced many families, students and members of the community. Hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged as the storm traveled through the city. One person was killed after a tree struck his car on Sunday. Multiple city streets have been closed off due to fallen trees and power lines. Duke Energy said about 43,000 customers currently lack power in North Carolina. Late Sunday afternoon, University Communications notified staff and students through an AggieAlert and an e-mail that Guilford County was under tornado watch. Shortly after the watch, a tornado was sighted near U.S. 29 and Gate City Boulevard and a warning was then issued. Initially N.C. A&T informed that there were power outages in Aggie Terrace, Aggies Suites, Pride Hall, 1020 E. Wendover Ave, Campus Evolution, Sebastian Villages, the University Farm, Bryan Fitness Center and the Joint School of Nanoengineering and Nanoscience. “Fortunately our campus did not suffer any structural damage to any buildings on campus. However, there were several buildings that experienced loss of power. For most of the
buildings on the main campus, power has been restored,” said Chief Charles E. Wilson, University Police Department. Although power was restored to on-campus facilities, several offcampus student housing complexes like Sebastian Villages, Campus Evolution, Collegiate Commons, Campus East and Campus Edge continue to lack power and hot water. “There are about 850 students that live in Sebastian altogether give or take, but only 300 were affected for the longest,” said Darrieon Millner, Community ambassador for the Sebastian Complexes. Email released from University Communication: Students in housing currently without power have three options for showers: Students may go to a same-sex friend’s residence hall to use showers Students may shower at the Campus Fitness Center After 10:30 a.m., students may also shower in the lower-level of Corbett Meal Options Students in leased housing will be able to dine in Williams Dining Hall through Wednesday, April 18, free of charge. You must
APRIL 18, 2018
WEDNESDAY
present your Aggie One Card to be verified. Due to the devastation, there are multiple places around the community that are offering food and sheltering for those who were impacted. St. James Baptist Church-- 536 Florida Avenue New Light Missionary Baptist Church-- 1105 Willow Road Hungry Church-- 801 Post Street Mount Zion Baptist Church-1301 Alamance Church Road Interactive Resource Center-407 E. Washington James B. Dudley High School-- 1200 Lincoln Street There are also numerous street closings around Greensboro that will affect students and faculty alike for the days to come. Holts Chapel Road, just south of Market Street Wendover Avenue east bound, just east of Elwell Avenue to Huffman Mill Road Elwell Avenue, from Wendover Avenue to Phillips Avenue Market Street, just east of Sykes Avenue to Lowdermilk Street Bessemer Avenue, just east of Sykes Avenue to Elwell Avenue Phillips Avenue, west of Elwell Avenue McConnell Road, from S. English Street to Franklin Boulevard Banner Avenue from McConnell Road to Holts Chapel Road East Florida Street, from Willow Road to Gate City Boulevard The extensive damage has left many in need of assistance. If you would like to help, contact Greensboro’s City Center at (336) 373-2489.
Top five worst tornadoes in NC We have several Aggies who are natives of North Carolina, but some of them have never seen or experienced a tornado. However, that does not speak to whether or not tornadoes have taken place. Aside from Sunday’s catastrophe, there have been many tornado-ridden storms right here in North Carolina. With the frequency of tornadoes spiking in the 1990s, they have since increased though tornado-related deaths have decreased due to improved forecasting and earlier warnings. Below are the top 5 worst tornadoes that have occurred in North Carolina. 1.) One of the most deadly tornado outbreaks in North Carolina occurred March 28, 1984. There were 22 tornadoes that touched down in North and South Carolina 1200 people were injured, 42 deaths. 2.) Three of the deadliest tornadoes in
NC occurred on April 16, 2011 -- one of North Carolina’s most active years. One occurred in Hoke County with a death toll of 2 and 176 injuries. There was
another in Moore county with 6 dead and 103 injured. The third most deadly was in Bertie County. There were 12 deaths and 58 injuries.
3.) On February 19, 1884, a deadly tornado roared through Anson and Richmond counties killing 23 people and injuring 100. 4.) In Greensboro on April 3, 1936, a violent tornado caused 1.5 million dollars worth of damage with a death toll of 14 and 144 injured. 5.) Striking the northwest part of Raleigh, New Hope, Justice, Ita, Halifax, and Jackson, a funnel on November 28, 1988 killed 4 people and injured a grand total of 154. Whether this is your permanent home or not, it helps to know what safety precautions you should take. See page 3 to learn how you can stay safe and protect yourself during a tornado storm. Elaijah Gibbs-Jones, Jasmin Hooks and Victoria Turner contributed to this article.