Northwest Elementary School may not ready by the time schools re-open in the fall was the general consensus of the Murray County Board of Education at Thursday’s meeting. Two tornadoes,

Northwest Elementary School suffered extensive damage after a tornado ripped through Murray County Easter Sunday.

which killed seven people, ripped through Murray County Sunday evening, with one tearing the roof off the elementary school.

“Right now, we just don’t know,” Steve Loughridge, Superintendent of Murray County Schools said. He added that he and the insurance adjuster had been to the site several times since Tuesday. “We are working to get Northwest back in shape as quickly as possible. We just don’t know how long that will take.”

Loughridge said part of the delay was the fact they had to make certain Northwest Elementary School was structurally sound before going in and after it was cleared, they were able to get a more accurate view of the damage.

The roof was torn off the gym and older part of the school which was built in the 1950’s. Glass was busted out in the large windows.

“There was extensive damage to the gym, the upper elementary wing, and the media center,” he said.

He said that all carpet, electrical and flooring will have to be replaced in the most severely damaged areas since they were underwater and electrical is housed in the roof. The newer side where lower elementary classes are had less damage, but Loughridge hopes they can replace the entire roof.

That’s the damage to the building. Most of the technology left in the school was ruined.

“Technology went in first and got all the computers out. They will be recycled and, of course, we documented everything,” he said.

Laughridge said a temporary roof has been installed so the drying out process can continue and will continue non-stop until it is dry.

“The biggest issue was power, but the company brought generators,” he said. “Fortunately, power was able to restored to parts of the school and by the end of the week, it should be as dry as it can get,” he said.

Loughridge said he was able to arrange through Governor Brian Kemp’s office permission for teachers to return to the school to retrieve personal belongings. The schools have been closed since March 13 to stem the COVID-19 pandemic.

The biggest issue, he said, is mold developing in the warm, wet school.

“The cleaning company cleans Emory Medical Center, so when they told me that, I felt confident they could handle Northwest Elementary,” he said.

Woodlawn Elementary and Bagley Middle School

While Northwest sustained the most damage, it wasn’t the only school to fall victim to the storms.

Bagley Middle School, which opened post-storm as a shelter, had roof damage and water damage. Insurance adjusters have come out and Loughridge estimates the damage to be around $100,000.

Woodlawn Elementary, which is beside Bagley, lost their sign and Loughridge estimates replacing it will be less than $20,000.

Shelter in the storm

According to weather reports, Chatsworth has an 80-percent chance of thunderstorms on Sunday, just one week after the storms that caused damage to more than 100 homes. While early reports do not indicate this front to be severe, Loughridge said Bagley Middle School will be open for shelter.

The school opened post-storm Sunday and had as many as 250 people seeking refuge.

The school currently serves as the drop off point and volunteer registration point.

Loughridge said they are currently talking to local churches about the best way to coordinate relief efforts. Even after clean-up, the needs are huge for families.

On Tuesday, Sparky Roberts, a member of the board, said about 750 people were fed from Bagley Middle School, all with donated food.

“I’m proud to be from Murray County,” Loughridge said.