Hattiesburg–February 10, 2013 an EF-4 tornado tore through Hattiesburg, devastating the Southern Miss campus. They’re bouncing back and want you to celebrate with them.
The tornado tore through Hattiesburg on Sunday, February 10th in the evening. No life threatening injuries were reported despite the massive damage to the city and Southern Miss campus. The very next day students and faculty were at USM picking up debris from the 75 trees that had been leveled.
Fast forward to now and Southern Miss is back to the top. Despite losing the iconic trees that shielded the original campus buildings from the hustle and bustle of Hardy Street, the campus has undergone a face-lift that includes new greenery, a bronze eagle statue, and the rebuilding and re-opening of Ogletree Alumni House.
The University of Southern Mississippi is celebrating this recovery Friday, September 5th at 10am on campus. The event serves as the grand re-opening of Ogletree as well as the unveiling of the Southern Miss Tornado Relief and Landscape Restoration Honor Wall, which serves recognition to all donors that contributed to restoration efforts.
“I am deeply grateful to each person who supported The University of Southern Mississippi through this time of rebuilding,” USM President Rodney Bennett tells Southern Miss Now,” and I look forward to hearing about how our campus and community benefit from restored facilities and outdoor spaces.”
