Storm Damages Campus & Orchard

At dinner time on Tuesday 16 October 2012, a major storm blew onto the campus of African Christian College and resulted in damage to the campus and Tree of Life Project.

The damage included:

• Rooftops removed, severely damaged, or destroyed in the high winds
• Over 125 trees downed in our macadamia orchard that is designed to help provide sustainable funding for the college. Many were replanted, but must be extensively pruned and given additional care to nurture back to production.
• Flooding and leaks in several buildings resulting in permanent damage to some of our textbooks
• Loss of two cows from our farm. Only one was able to be saved for meat
• Limbs, hail damage, and near losses of numerous other trees in our orchard
• The loss of several ornamental and fruit trees on our campus
• A busted water tank and destroyed water pump. Both must be replaced.

Within minutes of the storm passing, staff and students at the college were at work assessing damage, drying leaks, saving books, and reporting to authorities. The following morning, students and staff went to work cleaning up the campus, protecting things from the pending rain, and replanting trees. With the exception of the major damage, our campus appeared mostly “normal” by the end of that day.

However, it wasn’t until Saturday afternoon when electricity was restored and after getting power that we had sufficient water for campus needs. Despite these challenges, we held our Wednesday evening worship service, classes on Thursday and Friday, and a beautiful farewell celebration dinner honoring Larry and Susan Carter on Thursday night.

The storm resulted in approximately US $42,000 in additional costs to the college outside the normal budget. These include repairs not covered by insurance, replacements of roofs, replacing busted water pumps and tanks, fixing leaks, special tree care, and much more. Most of the repairs will be made by our campus staff who diligently work to ensure our campus is one of the safest, cleanest, and most beautiful campuses in Africa.

Donations are accepted to help with recovery costs by mailing your check to African Christian College, PO Box 70033, Albuquerque, NM 87197 or make an online donation now.