English
Korean
Spanish
HOUSTON?Hurricane Ike scarred Houston Baptist University with an estimated $8 million to $10 million in damages, HBU President Robert Sloan reported on the universityís website Sept. 15.
The damage estimate “is expected to rise,” Sloan noted, “as building and infrastructure inspections continue throughout the coming weeks.”
Sloan recounted: “The campus has suffered significant wind and water damage to a number of buildings, but hardest hit were the M.D. Anderson Student Center, a longtime favorite gathering place for students, and the Brown Administrative Complex.”
He continued: “The Student Center housing a campus eatery and coffee shop, Husky Central admissions offices, Spiritual Life and Student Life offices, our band hall, and the University Bookstore; our television studio; and offices in the Brown Administrative Complex have all suffered significant wind, water and structural damage. A number of classrooms in other buildings suffered some wind and water damage. Uprooted trees and broken limbs are scattered across the campus landscape.”
Another Baptist-related entity in Houston, the J. Dalton Havard School for Theological Studies of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, escaped damage from Ike’s fury.
“As far as our classrooms and our library, we’re in good shape,” reported Denny Autrey, dean of the SWBTS Houston campus. However, some flooding was found in the sanctuary and choir room used by Park Place Baptist Church on the campus.
Both Houston Baptist University and Southwestern’s Havard campus, like much of the greater Houston area, remained without power Sept. 16, with no word yet when it will restored.
At HBU, classes were cancelled Sept. 15-16, with the website noting, “No students are being allowed on campus until further notice. Classes will resume as soon as conditions permit.”
At the Havard campus, classes have been cancelled from Sept. 15-19.
Sloan, in his message on Houston Baptist University’s hbu.edu website, reported that “approximately 60 HBU students and emergency personnel who took shelter on the campus during the storm escaped unharmed.”
“Our campus can be rebuilt and repaired,” Sloan reflected, “but I think we all walked away from this experience with a greater appreciation for the everyday blessings of God.
“We urge HBU alumni and our friends across the country to include Houston Baptist <st1:PlaceType w:st="on"
