By Jennifer Fuller
Carbondale, IL – Cleanup and recovery from this month's damaging severe weather could top $5 million for SIUC, according to estimates.
Administrators say much of that total will go to restoring broken windows and roof damage after the high winds ripped through campus... But at least a million dollars will be spent on cleanup efforts.
Plant Service Operations Director Phil Gatton says at least a thousand "healthy" trees were lost in the powerful storm, most of them within Thompson Woods and around Campus Lake. Some of those areas will remain closed due to safety concerns.
The Agriculture Department took some of the hardest hits. The main building will need at least $300 thousand in repairs but the University Farm area lost several assets, including a feed mill used for the dairy, swine and equine centers. A new mill could cost $200 to $300 thousand.
All of this information will be forwarded to Governor Pat Quinn's office, as state officials tabulate damage reports for a possible request for federal disaster aid.
