Taylor Elementary School in Kokomo experienced significant disruption after a sudden storm brought high winds and heavy rainfall, causing significant damage yesterday afternoon. Steve Dishon, superintendent of Taylor Community School Corporation, reported that about one-quarter of the school at 5500 Wea Drive bore the brunt of the damage, as the storm "blew up out of nowhere." A rubber roof was torn from the building, leading to substantial water ingress, according to WTHR.
The situation at the school was swiftly handled by local authorities and school officials. An area near the gymnasium was notably affected, which the Professional Firefighters of Kokomo Local 396 claimed led to multiple calls concerning downed power lines nearby. In light of the damage – which initially appears to be non-structural – Taylor Elementary School will be closed to students on Monday, with an anticipated "waiver day" to allow for repairs and safety checks as middle and high school students continue their regular schedule, as detailed by FOX59.
The school is taking precautions to ensure safety and plans to reconfigure the school to resume classes by Tuesday. The district shared on a Facebook post, “Tonight, we have a crew in to clean up the water damage. In the morning, the roofers will be here to button up the roof and get ready for more rain Sunday and beyond. We will have a structural engineer in this weekend to ensure that we can use the rest of the building while the construction happens on the damaged areas,” despite the severity of the storm which saw peak winds at about 40 mph, no injuries were reported.
Efforts were immediately made to salvage the gymnasium's floor and clear water from interiors, with plans to review the complete extent of the damage still underway. Dishon expressed a hope to limit missed instructional time, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the educational trajectory for the students despite the natural disruptions, as reported by WISH-TV.
