Positivity: Rescue at Union — ‘It’s a miracle we’re alive,’ student says
Article published Feb 10, 2008
Danny Song couldn’t find his hat.
It’s tattered from years of wear and announces above the brim that “Life is Good.”
He took it off to better see what was around him while trapped in the Watters Commons at Union University. The building, along with much of the rest of Union’s campus, was torn to pieces Tuesday night by a tornado.
Earlier that day, Song, a 20-year-old junior, had only the typical college student worries - homework, tests and grades.
Those worries became trivial when he found himself on his knees, wedged in by a couch and a piece of the building that had collapsed around him.
“I was scared,” he said later. “I was worried that I wasn’t going to be able to use my legs because they felt like they weren’t getting circulation.”
Jackson firefighter Wemond Graham was near Song, inside a hole with bricks around him. Graham was on his knees, too, and his side and his stomach at various times as he helped rescue Union’s students.
Graham, a 10-year veteran assigned to Engine No. 13, and others worked five tense hours to free 13 students trapped in the remnants of their dorms.
The storm hit about 7 p.m., which was when the first emergency call came from Jelks Hall, according to central dispatch records. By 7:10 p.m., the first Jackson police officers arrived on campus.
By the end of the night, 51 students would go to the hospital. Five remained in the hospital Saturday, according to officials. Two students were listed in serious condition, and three students were listed in fair condition.
First on the scene
It was between 7:09 and 7:12 p.m. when Jackson Fire Department Engine No. 53 was dispatched to Union’s campus. The five-man crew arrived in four minutes, the first engine company to make it to the campus, which is just west of the U.S. 45 Bypass in North Jackson.
Before the alarm, engine driver Matt Gay had taken shelter in the firehouse bathroom.
“We had gotten a call that a building had possibly collapsed on Union’s campus,” Gay said. “What I don’t think we realized was that it wasn’t just a building, it was a lot of buildings.”
The drive from the Vann Drive firehouse to Union was difficult without streetlights. The tornado had knocked out power in much of North Jackson. The fire truck navigated streets littered with overturned cars, shingles and power lines. It was the first of many challenges the firefighters would face.
Gay and the crew were overwhelmed as they walked the campus and tried to decide where to begin. Every campus building looked damaged, and frantic student after frantic student ran to them.
“It seemed like every footstep there would be someone coming up to you asking for help,” Gay said. “But we had to prioritize what we were doing.” …..
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