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Thursday, May 23, 2013
Serving the community of Ogdensburg, New York
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Tuesday’s storm damages Clarkson buildings, disrupts SUNY classes

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POTSDAM — Power was restored to all areas of the village’s two universities today, but some Clarkson University buildings were damaged in Tuesday’s violent thunderstorm.

Clarkson spokesman Michael P. Griffin said the university’s Hill Campus was relatively unscathed, but downtown buildings were affected.

“Our custodial crew and grounds crew and maintenance staff have worked very hard,” Mr. Griffin said. “They worked late into the evening evaluating and blocking off hazardous areas.”

Congdon Hall, an out-of-use dormitory building, lost half its roof, Mr. Griffin said.

“We also had minor flooding in Clarkson Hall and the freshman residence halls,” he said.

Mr. Griffin said the ROTC buildings were damaged.

“Our Army ROTC building, Trinity House on Elm Street; part of the roof came off,” he said. “There was also damage to Anton House, which houses Air Force ROTC.”

Mr. Griffin said the Air Force ROTC program would have to be relocated during repairs.

Students attending summer classes and camps at Clarkson were evacuated to the Cheel Campus Center during the storm.

“All of our students and summer campers are safe and sound,” Mr. Griffin said Wednesday. “Obviously, they didn’t venture out yesterday.”

Off campus, the Delta Zeta sorority house was condemned after a falling tree damaged its roof.

SUNY Potsdam resumed summer session classes today. No one was injured in the storm, but the campus experienced some damage and debris, spokeswoman Alexandra M. Jacobs said in a message Wednesday.

“It speaks to the dedication of our faculty and staff that there were people working around the clock last night and this morning to fix leaks, clean up debris, maintain equipment and secure the campus so that we could offer classes again today,” she said. “Not to mention that SUNY Potsdam, Clarkson University and local officials have kept in constant contact and worked collaboratively since the storm hit.”

Ms. Jacobs said the college was sheltering three students whose downtown apartments were rendered uninhabitable by the storm. The school also offered lodging to National Grid employees working to clear limbs and re-establish power to surrounding neighborhoods.

“The College feels incredibly fortunate that no one was seriously injured on our campus or in our community,” Ms. Jacobs said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the residents and small business owners whose homes and livelihoods were impacted by the storm.”


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