Matt Cervarich

William Jewell College Tornado: May 4th, 2003

Between May 3rd and May 11th, 2003 a spring weather pattern created violent storms
spanning from Texas to Ontario. A series of low pressure systems and upper level disturbances
set up consistent south winds off the Gulf of Mexico. The winds carried the warm, moist gulf air
north into the Midwestern states. At the same time cold, dry air began to move from the west to
the Midwest. The clash between warm, moist air and cold, dry air caused continuous
thunderstorms activity. Due to changes in the wind, certain storms began to rotate and spawn
tornadoes. The persistence of the weather pattern led to eight days of conditions favorable for
tornado development. In total, the period experienced 401 tornadoes including one high end EF2 tornado (winds up to 135 mph) in the evening of May 4th that touched down just west of
Liberty, Missouri and proceeded to track through the William Jewell College campus.
The tornado caused significant damages to buildings and disruption of services. William
Jewel College, a small campus of only 1,000 students across 200 acres incurred $8 million worth
of damage. Regeants quad, a three building campus apartment complex, received the most
damage as it was razed by the storm. A smaller building containing leadership training was also
destroyed. The iconic bell tower of the campuss marquee building, the Gano Chapel, crashed
down under the force of the high winds. Melrose Hall, a residents hall housing 75 students
received widespread damage. The hall was out of service for one academic year. Every one of
the 35 campus buildings suffered at least some sort of roof damage. Trees were uprooted and
cars were tossed about campus both causing more collateral damage.
Most of the damage affected dormitory and apartment buildings. The short term response
was setting up makeshift living quarters in the White Science Center and Curry Library. The
tornado occurred after classes had ended for the semester but before the final exam period.

Students were sent home for the summer and final exams cancelled. To meet housing needs, the
maintenance staff worked over the summer to turn single rooms into double rooms.
Despite the destruction of two buildings, major damages to a third building and at least
moderate damage to all other campus buildings no faculty, students or staff were killed or
injured. The threat of potential severe weather was advertised six days in advance of the event.
The Storm Prediction Center, a government agency responsible for forecasting the risk of severe
thunderstorms and tornadoes, graphically showed the threat in their six day convective outlook.
The local National Weather Service office also mentioned a chance of severe weather six days in
advance of the storm. In the days leading up to the storm, forecasters disseminated the message
to the media who were able to consistently warn citizens of the forecasted storms. The National
Weather Service also began working with emergency managers and campuses to prepare
emergency procedures. William Jewell College with its often reviewed and well exercised
Crises Management Plan was prepared for direct hit from a storm. Two hours before the tornado
struck campus the Storm Prediction Center issued a tornado watch for a region containing the
campus. To emphasize the situation the watch was tagged as a particularly dangerous situation.
This infrequent phrase is placed on only the most deadly and destructive of storms to alert
emergency managers, first responders and citizens of the heighten seriousness of the situation.
Twenty minutes before the tornado struck campus the National Weather Service issued a tornado
warning for campus and triggered the tornado sirens.
The sirens initiated the well-rehearsed Crisis Management Plan. Residents Assistance
and faculty found their emergency master key and began rounding up students. Students we
brought to basements and storm shelters. After all students were secured in basements the group
then moved to the interior hallways of the basements. A basement television was used to

continue to track the danger. Newscasters and weather service meteorologists were able to
forecast the tornadoes location and communicate it to the public down to the minute. The
tornado destroyed one complex of buildings, severely damaged other buildings and had at least a
moderate impact on every campus structure but no people were killed or injured.
After the tornado passed students, staff and faculty began the first post-crisis step in the
Crisis Management Plan they all reported to the Mabee Center, William Jewels athletic center,
largest building and gathering point in an emergency. Shortly after the entire campus
congregated in the Mabee Center the tornado sirens returned. The Crisis Management Plan called
for all occupants of the Mabee Center to find safety in the most interior part of the building the
athletic locker rooms. After the dangerous conditions subsided and every one was accounted for
the campus began preparing makeshift living quarters to house students whose dormitories or
apartments were destroyed. Accommodations included linens, pillows and floor space in the
Curry Library.
Recovery efforts began the morning after the storm. Within the past year, William Jewell
College had rehired a former faculty member, Linda French, who left her position as a disaster
relief coordinator for the American Red Cross. She assumed the position of recovery
coordinated. The local community and students were ready. Ms. French identified five points to
manage outside assistance:
You need a control point for people show up spontaneously to offer maul labor.
You need a contact point for people offering financial donations. You need a
drop-off point for donation of good or equipment. You need a communications
center which can route calls quickly to the appropriate recipient. And someone in

charge of needs assessment (no need to accept truckloads of leaf blowers if the
compelling need is for chainsaws). (French)
Significant support in the forms of manual labor, food and monetary donations came from
outside groups. The efficient recovery team was able to command groups of roofers and
maintenance personnel who had come from other area communities and universities to donate
their time and labor. This was an integral part to a safe recovery as the weather pattern
consistently brought storms to the campus for the next week.
The ongoing hazardous weather prompter President Bush to declare the campuss county
a disaster area. Additional federal resources aided the recovery effort and initiated the rebuilding
effort. FEMA played an integral part in returning the campus to normalcy.
The impromptu goal of the recovery team was to minimize disruptions to services,
campus activities and clean the campus for the upcoming commencement ceremony. Services
and activities the campus planned to host included summer school classes, a basketball camp and
a soccer camp. The basketball camp began four weeks after the tornado and lasted through July.
It was originally planned as an overnight camp with participants residing in the campus
dormitories. The camp goers basketball experience took place in the athletic center as planned
but housing was changed to a local hotel and dining was moved to another local colleges
cafeteria. A soccer camp, occurring at the same time of the basketball camp, could not secure the
necessary housing for the summer. The camp was changed to a commuter camp and the price
was changed to reflect the cut in services. Summer school classes proceeded largely as planned
with minor changes to classroom locations.
Longer term recovery included the rebuilding of the destroyed buildings and continuing
management of monetary donations. William Jewells president and leadership decided to

replace the destroyed buildings with state-of-the-art buildings serving the same function. Initial
fund were gathered from insurance claims but this covered only about half of the cost of the new
construction. Other fundraising included unsolicited corporate donations and smaller donations
from galvanized alumni. The local community also contributed to the cause in many ways: a
furniture company held a benefit auction, the local Lions Club donated gift cards, local churches
collected donations from church members, and a radio station held a benefit concert. After
donations met a majority of the estimated rebuilding costs, construction began on three capitol
projects.
The first project focused on rebuilding the bell tower. The bell tower was completed
within a year of the tornado with aid from corporate donations. The two other capitol projects
rebuilding of the housing and of the leadership center would take much longer. The new
leadership center replaced the former, smaller leadership center. After a few large donations
from alumni an old fraternity building was converted into the Fred & Shirley Pryor Center for
Leadership Development. The new center contains career services, classrooms, departmental
offices, and leadership seminars. The last capitol project was replacing the destroyed housing
complex. A new sorority housing complex replaced the Regents Quad apartment complex. The
sorority complex accommodates 250 people (about a quarter of the student population) and was
completed in 2009, six years after the apartment complex was destroyed.