In the hours after a powerful tornado swept through the OARDC on September 16 it was quickly apparent that the damage to Ohio State Universitys premiere agricultural research facility was extensive.
Virtually every building on campus was affected.
Most of the Agricultural Engineer Building had crumbled to the ground. The Research Services Building suffered heavy damage. Virtually all of the 26 greenhouses used to support the cutting edge research being conducted at OARDC were damaged or completely destroyed. Over 1500 trees, many of which had stood in Secrest Arboretum for decades, were simply gone.
But within minutes of when the storm passed, the first wave of what has become a tremendous outpouring of support from the community descended on the campus.
We cannot say enough about the local community and the way it stepped forward, said OARDC Director Dr. Steven Slack.
After first responders finished combing the collapsed buildings and securing the campus and utility companies restored services to the buildings the task of bringing other key infrastructure back on line began.
According to Slack the main campus in Columbus sent personnel to Wooster for multiple weeks at a time to help get critical systems back on line while local faculty members picked through the rubble to salvage equipment, data and plant materials and made room for their displaced colleagues.
With 90 graduate students facing deadlines to complete advanced degrees, grant funding to support the students on the line, years of painstaking research in jeopardy and Third Frontier collaborations with local companies at critical junctures it was the speed of the recovery that would ultimately determine its success.
The university needed help and plenty of it to take on the daunting task of getting leading edge research projects back on line quickly. It received just that.
Slack credits the efforts of the local community and Ohio State President Gordon Gee with those successful efforts.
One of (Gees) concepts is one university and I think if ever theres been a time to test that concept this was it, said Slack adding this is the single largest loss at one time that the university has ever incurred.
The university came together as a family to really get us back and operating so were very appreciative, said Slack.
When it became apparent that the loss of the greenhouses could jeopardize critical horticulture research, ATI immediately offered greenhouse space.
According to Slack because of their deep ties to the ATI/OARDC/Secrest Arboretum, many individuals and businesses in the landscape and nursery industries provided greenhouse space, expertise, time, equipment and plant materials to replace particular species that were lost during the storm.
The outpouring of support is really heartwarming, said Slack.
Through it all the focus of the university has been on minimizing the effects of the storm on the students on campus.
Its been very stressful for virtually everybody but certainly in that population the stress level has been the highest, said Slack.
In many cases these students are living pretty frugally. (When) they lose a car or they lose their residence there is not a lot of margin for them to work, said Slack.
Its very hard to focus on the professional things that youre supposed to do if your personal life is also in disarray, said Slack adding weve been very concerned about trying to get that taken care of as best as possible so they can refocus on their professional interests.
To that end the university has set up a fund to help cover some of the uninsured losses suffered by both the students and the university, which will have to bear the cost of replacing landscaping around the damaged buildings.
While much as been accomplished much remains to be done in order to bring the campus fully back to life.
Slack sees the remediation phase - the initial clean up and salvaging of buildings so additional damage doesnt occur - as nearing completion.
What lies ahead is what Slack refers to as the deconstruction and reconstruction phase.
Deconstruction is eliminating some of these facilities that are damaged beyond the ability to bring them back such as some of the greenhouses, said Slack.
Reconstruction efforts are already underway.
Things are already happening, said Slack noting as you drive out across campus you see roofs going on buildings.
The windows on the Research Services building have been replaced and work has begun on the interior of the building. According to Slack by spring that building should be fully operational.
The critical need for greenhouses is also being addressed.
Were building that capacity back pretty quickly, said Slack noting that greenhouses that sustained minimal damage are already back up and functioning.
The university has also built what Slack describes as a greenhouse city of temporary greenhouses that can be used until long-term greenhouse facilities are in place.
Replacing other facilities, like those in the Agricultural Engineering Building, will be more challenging as the university does a delicate balancing act between reconstructing the facilities the researchers need now and looking beyond today to provide what they may need in the future.
Weve come a long way and there are a lot of positives but any time you can still see that visual reminder out there of the greenhouses its still very real in peoples minds, said Slack adding its going to be a lengthy process.
Sidebar Story:
Lending a hand
By Sharon Haught
Since a powerful tornado devastated the campus of OARDC on September 16, 2010 the support from the community has been overwhelming.
While much of the damage will be covered by insurance, some will not.
Many of the 90 graduate students who call the campus home face the prospect of finding a way to pay for losses not paid for by insurance.
The university itself also faces uninsured losses for the costs of replacing trees and landscaping around the buildings on campus.
To help defray some of those costs Ohio State University has set up a special fund to help take care of the short term needs of the students and the longer term needs of the university.
Since Newell Rubbermaid made the first $5000 contribution to the fund in November, the amount in the fund has nearly doubled through contributions by local businesses and community members.
A second fund was established to help rebuild Secrest Arboretum, which suffered heavy damage during the storm.
Those interested in contributing to either fund can send a tax deductable contribution to the Ohio State University Office of Development, 1625 Wilson Road, Wooster, Ohio 44691 or donate online at www.giveto.osu.edu.
Donors are asked to specify whether they wish for their contribution to be made to the OARDC Campus Tornado Relief Fund (Fund Number 313533) or to the Secrest Arboretum Fund (Fund Number 308772).
