by Krystiana Morales
Winds just below hurricane level, at 71 mph, swept through the Whitworth community Nov. 17 as students rushed to find shelter on and off campus. The windstorm caused trees to fall in the loop and on power lines, homes and buildings all over Spokane. A total of 90 trees fell on campus and damaged four buildings.
Senior Niehls Ingram was one of several students whose house was damaged during the storm. His was hit by a tree that fell through the roof and into his room.
“I was at my girlfriend’s house and my housemate called me, he sounded really worried,” Ingram said. “I was pretty sure I knew what happened and then he told me that a tree had fallen on our house.”
Ingram and his housemates talked to their landlady after their house was hit by a tree, which dumped insulation into the house and damaged the roof and ceiling.
“She said we couldn’t stay in the house, so I stayed at a friend’s house,” Ingram said. “They didn’t have power but that was okay.”
Ingram’s landlady told him and his roommates that the repairs on their house would not be completed until January. However, she allowed Ingram and his housemates to break the lease early on the damaged house, which allowed them to look for another place to live, Ingram said.
“Luckily, we found a newly renovated house and moved in,” Ingram said. “We didn’t get power until the day before Thanksgiving but we had a place to live.”
Junior Ashley Fitzgerald, a theme house resident, was working at an elementary school during the beginning of the windstorm. She stayed at work longer than usual to make sure that all the children got home. After work, a friend called her and told her that a tree had fallen near her house, Fitzgerald said.
“So, I left work and it usually takes me 10 to 15 minutes to get back on campus,” Fitzgerald said. “That day it took me 45 minutes.”
Fitzgerald’s house was not accessible at all during the day of the windstorm. After getting on campus she went to McMillan Hall and stayed there for most of the storm, Fitzgerald said.
“I told my housemate not to go to the house because it wasn’t safe,” Fitzgerald said. “Plus, I didn’t want to stay there because it was scary. There were power lines that had fallen and I just didn’t feel comfortable being in the house.”
Fitzgerald’s friends invited her into their home to stay over the next couple of days. The next couple of days were rough, Fitzgerald said.
The aftermath of the storm felt chaotic and hectic, Ingram said.
“It’s hard for me to rely on other people but considering the circumstances, I had to,” Ingram said. “After we found our new place, we got settled in and everything calmed down.”
Professors were really understanding of circumstances, especially considering that most of her assignments are online, Fitzgerald said.
“I don’t think we should have had classes that Thursday,” Fitzgerald said. “Who can even focus when all of that’s going on? I don’t think everyone was ready, especially the on-campus people who had to move to other dorms.”
Overall, the Whitworth community responded very well to the windstorm and taking care of students, Fitzgerald said.
“If there was one thing I learned it was that I wished I had renter’s insurance. I learned that the hard way,” Ingram said.
Contact Krystiana Morales at kmorales17@my.whitworth.edu