I was forced to make an extremely unexpected trip home yesterday, due to a massive storm partly caused by Hurricane Ike. As the massive front caused by Ike moved north, a massive front from the north was heading south. They met near Cincinnati, causing a severe storm. Cincinnati got 45mph wind with gusts up to 75mph or more. Now, I'm a good size guy (6' tall), but it about knocked my feet out from under me on a couple occasions, and really battered you about. It caused severe damage across the entire city. GBS sits right on top of a hill (Mt. Auburn), and so was particularly susceptible to the strong winds. It knocked down at least three trees and branches too numerous to count. It knocked in a window in the girls dorm, and a staff members house. Siding is missing everywhere. Multiple roofs will need to be replaced. Power lines will have to be fixed, and that's on GBS' campus alone. We lost power (along with the 600,000+ other residents in the area). As I drove home, I nearly ran out of gas because basically everything from Cincinnati to Dayton is shut down (including gas stations). The lack of power has caused no small dilemma on campus. With nothing to keep the freezers and refrigerators going, they were quickly running out of food. So, they cancelled school until at least tomorrow (Wed.), and asked us all to go home because they could not sustain us, and there is also the element of safety, now that there is a blackout in the area. So, I'm home. For now. This really throws a kink, scholastically speaking, into the mix. Hopefully it will not bury me. Here are a few pictures that I took during the storm. I will try and post more later.

Ryan








This photo was taken about 10-15 miles from GBS.

Tags: Ike, Storm