Monday, April 4th, welcomed students back from spring break with a 50-60 mph windstorm. The storm caused power outages and fallen trees in most of Eastern Washington and North Idaho, including a fallen tree on campus which damaged a student’s vehicle.
The tree fell by Shalom, one of the three buildings which make up the Village. The tree did not hit the building, and nobody was injured.
Emely Zavala, the owner of the damaged car, says she was taking a break from studying when she received a call from her RA, asking her to confirm the license plates of her car.
“It wasn’t the actual tree that hit my car, but what happened is that the roots lifted up, and the cement from underneath my car is what damaged my bumper,” said Zavala.
She is receiving financial support through the ‘Help A Pirate’ program and Whitworth’s insurance to pay for the damages.
According to an article released by The Spokesman Review, “The high winds caused a number of downed trees and power lines throughout Spokane and surrounding areas, causing brush fires, blocked roads and damage to homes and cars.”
“The trees most likely to fall are ones that have been impacted by construction damage,” says Caleb McIlraith, the arborist for the university as well as a groundskeeper. “This weakens the tree, making it susceptible to high winds as well as drought and other issues.”
The construction surrounding the village was completed a long time ago. Still, the tree had survived past windstorms, such as the one in November of 2015, which forced 650 students to evacuate in search of power outside their residences and sent trees falling all across campus.
The university has spent over $150,000 since the 2015 storm having the trees deadwooded, “a pruning practice that entails removing all the dead branches from the canopy of the tree,” according to McIlraith. “This reduces the wind-sail effect that high winds can have on tall trees.”
As of 2021, Whitworth University was ranked 39th out of the 50 most beautiful Christian colleges, by Online Christian Colleges. “Whitworth’s campus features hundreds of fragrant pine trees and an impressive collection of red-brick buildings.”
While the beauty of the trees is unique to campus, “building parking lots on top of tree roots is a dangerous practice, but a quick walk around campus will reveal many, many trees that we have allowed this to happen to,” said McIlraith.
“Every tree has a chance of failure, and yet every tree has intrinsic value and important benefits,” said McIlraith. An inspection of tree safety and potential dangers is done “as often as possible.”
Another resident of the Village, Adrian Alvarez, says he wishes the university did a better job preparing students by saying, “Here’s what to do. Here’s what to look out for, in case of an emergency.”
“Specifically for the people who choose to live in the Village, where the buildings are a little bit smaller and a little bit older,” said Alvarez.
