A personal perspective from Brock Cobb |Freshman in 1999, now Director of bands at Rossview High School

Early that morning, our resident adviser in Harvill Hall began knocking on doors up and down the dorm hall. We all went to the hallway and got into the “duck and cover” position, not really taking it very seriously.

Many of us were raising our heads talking, making jokes, etc. Then we heard our RA begin to yell “Heads Down! Heads Down!” Almost immediately after that, the power went out and I heard the sound of the wind rushing by outside.

I could see doors in the hallway begin to rattle as the difference in air pressure popped windows out of the dorm rooms and began to suck the air out of the rooms, pulling on the doors.

We stayed in the hallway for about an hour, after which we were allowed to make a five-minute phone call if needed. Shortly after sunrise, we were allowed to leave the hallway and check on our belongings in the dorm room.

When I went into my room, there was a hole in the roof and about a half an inch of water on the floor. When I went outside, I saw cars pushed around in the lots, a giant section of the roof of Harned Hall missing, and debris was strewn all over campus.

I had never seen anything like it.