William Carey University: One year after the tornado

At William Carey University in Hattiesburg, classes were in full swing this morning. However, one year ago today that would not have been the case. An EF3 tornado ripped through the university’s campus at around 2:30 on the morning of January 21st, 2017 and the next day those affected were still reeling in its aftermath.
For William Carey University students and faculty, the day of January 22nd, 2017 can be summed up in one sentence. “One of the most trying and worst days of my life.”
One year ago, an EF3 tornado ripped through the university’s campus, destroying everything in its path. William Carey University Executive Vice President and Provost Scott Hummel said, “It is certainly devastating to see so many buildings on campus. I graduated from Carey, it’s my alma mater, but worse than that is to see the dorms, knowing that our students are in there and to know that our students could be hurt and in fact, we did have many students who had to go to the hospital.”
One of those many students was Taylor Gautreaux of the women’s soccer team, who had three of her fingers severed during the tornado. “As soon as I went to close the door behind me with my hand, the tornado, like, the wind busts through the window and the pressure and the wind kicked in and closed on my hand.”
But one year later, despite some minor setbacks, the university and its students have turned this tragedy into a triumph. “In many ways, it has actually been a privilege to be part of helping the university rebuild and to be able to see the university finish the term and to be able to see the university finish the next term on time and record enrollments in the aftermath. The Carey family is closer than ever before. It has actually been a privilege to see the blessings of God that came out of the storm.”
Within the next year, students will see five new buildings take shape on the grounds. Construction will come to an end in December 2019.