The Not-So-Perfect Storm

A storm that touched down in Charlottesville on July 5 hit the University’s central and Medical Center Grounds hard. It damaged hundreds of trees Universitywide, said Christopher M. Willis, director of facilities operations. Almost all of the trees in the Academical Village were damaged in some way, he said. So far, “we have lost or will lose approximately 25” trees on Grounds. There also was damage to a wall and historic spire in the Pavilion VI garden, a speaker blew off of Old Cabell Hall, and some flooding occurred in Pavilion IV. Overall, though, there appeared to be little damage to buildings on central Grounds, Willis said. At the Health System, however, several buildings sustained damage to their roofs. It’s still too early to estimate the total cost and loss incurred from the storm, Willis said. Crews have been busy assessing the damage and making repairs. For weather updates, go to the University’s home page at www.virginia.edu/ and choose the weather-related schedule information link.