A few minutes after midnight on Sunday morning (November 10), the campus was hit by a tornado. The residential complex has experienced extensive damage. Married Student apartments are in terrible shape. The McAfee complex and the Hurt complex were hit very hard. Blythe Hall, Patton Hall, and the Hurt Commons suffered the most damage. Hammons Hall was touched by the winds. Trees, power lines, and light poles are down all over campus. As I walked around campus in those early Sunday morning hours, the devastation seemed beyond belief.

The campus was without power, water, phones, or technology for almost 18 hours. Initial power was restored around 6:00 p.m. on Sunday night. Full power, water, etc., has just been restored (noon on Monday, November 11).

The wonderful thing is that no lives were lost, no one was hurt. Indeed the Lord has taken care of us in an amazing way.

We cancelled all classes for Monday (November 11). Faculty, staff, and students joined together to serve together to begin the extensive clean-up that is needed and will be needed for weeks to come. Gary Carter is on top of all insurance needs. Ed Woodside and other insurance personnel were here this morning to offer their support.

I would encourage you to check the Union website (www.uu.edu) to stay posted on all that is happening.

I contacted Trustee Chairman Mike Weeks early Sunday morning and a few other trustee leaders to assure them that we were on top of the situation. Many staff—especially the student services and facilities management team—worked with me and a few other administrators through the night and into Sunday morning. We have made great progress in the last 36 hours and should be operational again sometime on Tuesday.

Bob Campbell and Randy Phillips provided support on Sunday. Dement Construction Company and MG Construction Company have been wonderful in offering support and expertise. Gary Taylor has been in touch regularly to offer counsel.

United Way, the Red Cross, the Methodist Hospital, the Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief Team and so many others have been incredibly helpful. Area churches, several local businesses, and many other friends have provided materials, food, and many other things to help us at this time.

We rejoice in God’s protection. We are grateful for the wonderful sense of community and the great spirit that has been evident to all. While the damage will approach hundreds of thousands of dollars, we are seeing the Union community at its best during this challenging time. Thank you for your support and prayers for us!