2008 Woodie Awards
Winter weather slams campus
Brittany Lane
Issue date: 12/4/06 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
| |
| |
|
Although the metro was blanketed with snow, history will not show it. The National Weather Service uses Kansas City International Airport as the official reporting station for area precipitation. KCI received only trace amounts of snow.
The University shut down campus after 3:30 p.m. both Wednesday, Nov. 29 and Thursday, Nov. 30. Some students complained the campus should have shut down earlier Thursday because parking areas, streets and sidewalks on campus were covered in ice.
"I didn't go to class because it was bad out there," said Deidre Coleman, junior. "My friends that did go said the campus was horrible and they were sliding everywhere. It was ridiculous that they waited so late to close everything when other schools had already closed."
Campus Facilities' building services team is responsible for snow removal. They were out regularly Wednesday and Thursday clearing sidewalks and putting down salt. Thursday the snow began to fall and quickly accumulate around 3 p.m.
Chancellor Guy Bailey, under advisement from the Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance, determines if classes are cancelled and whether the campus is to be closed due to severe weather. The severe weather decision is to be made by 6 a.m. of the day in question. Among other methods, the decision is communicated by placing a message on the main UMKC Web page, making an official announcement to area media outlets, and sending messages to all deans, directors, faculty and staff.
Other University of Missouri System schools were affected by the winter storm. The University Of Missouri-St. Louis cancelled classes, programs, and scheduled basketball games Friday. Like much of St. Louis, the campus also experienced power outages.
For only the fourth time since 1978, MU classes were cancelled due to severe weather. About 15 inches of snow accumulated in Columbia. Essential services such as dining and the University Hospital remained open on campus.
Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt declared a state of emergency and sent the National Guard to assist residents recovering from the snowstorm. Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius declared a state of emergency for 27 counties. An estimated 500,000 people were without power in Missouri and Illinois as of Saturday. Chicago received 6.2 inches of snow, while many areas of Illinois and Wisconsin got more than a foot.
Power and light companies were dispatched to restore power in affected areas. But many were slow to get to those in need, because Interstate 70 was gridlocked Friday. I-70 was covered in ice, snow, and stuck vehicles and semi trucks. The highway patrol closed a section of the highway nearly 100 miles long. Many motorists were stranded on I-70 until it reopened and the next day.
blane@unews.com
Be the first to comment on this story