Efforts are underway at two college campuses to repair damage from Thursday’s storms that ripped through Spalding County.
Officials with the University of Georgia Griffin campus and Southern Crescent Technical College reported damage to buildings as well as downed trees and powerlines after a tornado hit the Griffin area about 40 miles south of Atlanta.
Both UGA’s Griffin campus and Southern Crescent closed Friday because of the damage.
The UGA site remained without power at 4:15 p.m. Friday, though crews were working to restore electricity. In a news release, the university said it is working on a plan “to support students in Griffin so that their studies can continue uninterrupted.”
Campus greenhouses used for research and teaching were destroyed, but the university reported that damage to other buildings appeared to be minor.
Adam Fouche, who directs the university’s emergency preparedness office, said the hope is “to get the Griffin campus back up and running very soon.”
Southern Crescent’s Education and Training Complex at its Griffin campus sustained extensive damage to one portion of the building, which was under construction and not occupied. The walls and roof collapsed, the college reported.
The college’s other Griffin buildings escaped with minor exterior damage, such as siding being ripped away.
Southern Crescent President Irvin Clark said the college is working with state and local authorities to get the Griffin campus “back up and running at full capacity.”
For-credit classes at the school’s Henry County Center will remain in session Saturday. A spokeswoman said the school plans to open the Griffin campus once power is restored. The college is closed Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
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