GC&SU area escapes Frances fury with minor flooding, fallen trees

According to Wednesday’s Union-Recorder, nearly 20,000 people in Baldwin and surrounding counties were left without power in the wake of hurricane Frances.

Since then, the power has been restored to most residents in the area, and Georgia College & State University’s main campus escaped with minor damage.

“Down in the housing office of Sanford and on the east side of Parkhurst Hall, where the ground level is a bit higher, there was a little bit of flooding,” said Dr. Bruce Harshbarger, vice president for student affairs. “Fortunately we dodged most of the troubles. I walked through [the area] and by mid-morning it had all been cleaned.”

Classes were cancelled Tuesday due to rain. Vice President of Dean and Faculties, Dr. Anne Gormley, said it is a decision not taken lightly.

“The president in consultation with others makes the determination to cancel classes,” said Gormley. “Safety is the primary concern in canceling classes. Flooded roads, downed power lines, falling trees and limbs all present hazards to faculty, students and staff. Some people could not get out of their driveways due to fallen trees.”

The Macon and Warner Robins campuses were closed because their power was out.

Gormly said once the decision is made to close the university, University Relations is responsible for distributing the information on the InfoPage and news media.

Though clouds lingered through Wednesday, the dreary weather should subside for the weekend.

Ivan, another hurricane with its sights set on the Florida Panhandle is headed this way. The National Weather Service predicts landfall through Florida and the southern tip of Georgia by Monday morning.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 10 2004. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry