University of Iowa Alpha Chi Omega house damaged by tornado
 

At the Alpha Chi Omega sorority house, 828 E. Washington St., 29 women were in the house when the storm hit. The east wall of the house was completely destroyed and its roof torn off, said house mother Claudia Streeter. Cars littered the ravine to the west of the house, and the numerous decks, which residents reported had been the site of a nonalcoholic social only hours earlier, were destroyed.

Shortly after the winds came through, Streeter reported a firefighter told the women to remain in the basement unless they smelled gas. After 20 minutes passed, they did began to smell gas and decided to evacuate - some number of them without shoes.

Firefighters with oxygen tanks searched the Alpha Chi house for injured, but most of the sorority sisters were taken to the Iowa City police station, said UI senior and Alpha Chi member Erika Fabisch.


Read the rest here

Here's a photo from the Press-Citizen of the Alpha Chi House
If you scroll through the photos, there are some more of the damage at Alpha Chi.

The storm that went through Iowa City last night was brutal. So many homes and business were damaged. The University cancelled classes for today, as did many local schools.

I talked to our house director last night after the storm had passed because the Kappa house is less than two blocks away from the Alpha Chi house. Luckily, we sustained only minor structural damage to the west side of the house. Everyone is safe and no one was hurt.

They just showd the Chi Omega house on Good Morning America and it looked like a bomb went off.

I didn't hear this, but I hope no one in Iowa City lost their life.

That was the Alpha Chi house, not the Chi Omega house.

They interviewed a few sisters, too. This is so sad :(

Last night was absolutely unreal. Three tornadoes touched down between Wal-Mart and Menard's, and all went in separate directions. I believe one of them was destined towards me as I narrowly escaped it's path by a matter of seconds. The Dairy Queen was not as fortunate. I may have been one of the last people to actually see that building still standing. The whole town is shook up. Reports indicate that only 1 person lost their life due to the tornadoes in eastern Iowa.

I was at that non-alc earlier on Thursday. It truly was a great house, and an absolutely amazing four-story deck.

There's an article on CNN.com com that references the Alpha Chi Omega house and the young woman who huddled in the phone booth while the house was destroyed around her. Thank God the 29 women in that house were safe....

The house has 46 or 47 live-ins, and is across the street from PiPhi and two doors down from Kappa. I am going to head down there to see if I can provide any form of assistance.

i am just heartbroken by these pictures. hopefully these women can finish out the semester somewhere safe.

http://cmsimg.press-citizen.com/apps...em=17&Maxw=465

http://cmsimg.press-citizen.com/apps...em=18&Maxw=465

http://media.collegepublisher.com/me...s/kutwrk44.jpg

It is like a complete war zone. The Kappa house had a gas leak, and some windows blown out. But the AXO house received the worst damage I have seen in Iowa City. The roof is basically completely gone. Everyone in the house is doing alright. One girl stepped on a nail as they were leaving the house, but she is alright now.

those poor girls! I'll keep them in my thoughts...

Do you know if they were able to salvage any of their chapter's "stuff" such as composites, scrapbooks, ritual and any other chapter paraphernalia?

I saw some Pix and am so glad from the devisataion that none were hurt or killed.

Wow, it has to be scarry for sure for these Ladys and what they went through.

Life is living, a Building is just a building!

I hope they can get back up to speed with a bigger and better facility in the near future!

AXO Sisters...
 

I have contacted my regional coordinator & encourage you guys to do the same (just call HQ if you aren't sure whom to contact) -- let's find out what we can do to help these girls get back on their feet. This is terrible but thank goodness all the sisters were safe.

I'm so glad the girls are okay. The house is trashed. What is important is that none of the girls died. Composites, ritual stuff can be replaced, a life cannot.

Re: AXO Sisters...
 

The Alpha Chi Omega national web site has a fairly brief notice that says, among other things, "There are over 100 chapter members, all of whom are accounted for and safe. Marsha Grady, Alpha Chi Omega National Vice President and Cindy Parker of the local house corporation are on site and are securing temporary housing for the members through the end of the school term."

Good to know that everyone's OK, but I'm sure there'll be tons of things the chapter members will need. Best wishes to them in this difficult time.

How absolutely awful! My heart goes out to those poor girls. Thank heavens no one was hurt, but it must be heart-wrenching for them to see their house destroyed. :(

I just read an update on the Des Moines Register's web site reporting that the women who lived in the Alpha Chi Omega house "will stay in the vacant FIJI fraternity house . . . for the rest of the semester." I hope that is accurate -- if so, at least it would mean a roof over their heads and a place to (temporarily) call home.

The Des Moines Register site is

http://desmoinesregister.com

The story has some quotes from the chapter officer who had just finished a revised room assignment list to accommodate a couple of members who were (apparently) moving in. The story also reported that Alpha Chis stayed around the area of the house overnight to deter any possible looters.

i read a really touching article, written by a sister of the chapter, in the school's newspaper:

http://www.dailyiowan.com/media/stor...iowan.com#more

Words can't describe the pain I felt when I walked up to the house last night. The roof was gone - glass was everywhere. Two cars were sitting in our front yard. The entire east side of the house is gone.

I thought it was bad enough to come outside Thursday night and find a tree on top of my car; bad enough my apartment's bedroom is a mess of broken glass, mud, and debris. But then I got the phone call from my best friend.

"Alpha Chi Omega is gone, Meghan. What are we going to do?"

Good question. It wasn't just a sorority house - it was our home.

The slew of tornados that descended upon Iowa City Thursday night had ripped off the roof and front of the century-old home, 828 E. Washington St., leaving a doll-house view of the structure's innards.

Once lodging 43 girls and home to approximately 120 Alpha Chi Omega members, the former UI president's mansion is slated to be bulldozed, along with our possessions and memories. But much more important than the bricks and mortar are the times we spent on our infamous decks, the late nights of watching "One Tree Hill," and Monday chapter meetings. It was a wonderful home and I'm afraid I took it for granted sometimes.

When I chose Alpha Chi Omega during a hot August week a few years ago, I didn't join to be associated with the richest girls, the prettiest girls, or the smartest girls. I chose it because it felt like a home.

It was where we ate dinner together, and stayed up in the sleeping rooms telling stupid jokes and gossiping all night. We studied there. We sat in our living room and watched back-to-back seasons of "Sex And The City" until 4 a.m.

We were initiated there.

I lived in the majestic house for two years of my college career, and while my sisters and I had the occasional fight, the rooms and kitchen played host to my most treasured memories of college.

I met my best friends in that house. It was where we shared many laughs and tears. It was a safe place where everyone was welcome, whether they were a part of our sorority or not.

I live in an apartment this year, but I couldn't help but visit my friends at the sorority house at least three times a week. The memories of being on your own in an apartment off-campus are nothing like the ones you spend with your Greek house.

And standing in front of the sorority Friday morning, side by side with my fellow sisters, I tried my best to console the freshmen as well as my older friends and former roommates.

"It'll be OK. We'll be fixed up in no time," I told the girls as I hugged them, even though I didn't even believe myself.

"It's like a dollhouse," said one of our sorority neighbors who came to bring us pitchers of water. "You can see inside your rooms."

Another girl surveying the damage with us gave me a hug and said, "It's not the building that was home, it's the girls that lived in it."

I don't know who that girl is, but thank you for reminding me of something that seemed to be as broken as the place 120 women consider a home, even if they don't live in the physical structure.

And it got me thinking about what a home is. I have an apartment which holds my possessions - most of which were not severely damaged beyond repair - and a house in Des Moines where my mother and father live.

But my home was where my heart was, and that place was in Alpha Chi Omega with my sisters.

Clothing, computers, and i-Pods can be replaced and the girls will be spending the rest of the school year in the former Phi Gamma Delta house. But it's just not going to be the same.

But as long as the women of Alpha Chi Omega are still on campus, we will remain a strong sorority. We were the foundations that made that house a home.

And we're not going anywhere.

That is a very nice article.

Here are more photos from the University Relations website. It looks like they were able to save some of the girls' personal things, although I know it's not much.

Photos

What a touching story! My heart goes out to the AXO sisters at Iowa.

Im a freshman, and I Just joined alpha chi omega at Iowa....and it has been the best year of my life, these girls are absolutely amazing, and they have gone through so much this year.

I cant describe the feeling of walking up to the house on thursday night, I was with another one of my sisters, and we heard the house was hit but we had no idea it was that bad. We got to the house and it looked like something out of a nightmare, we both just burst into tears. This beautiful 120 year old home, were we held our chapter meetings, all house retreats, where i was iniated 1 week earlier, that we loved and were looking forward to living in the next two years, was destroyed it looked life a freak show with so many people looking and it in disbelif and taking pictures. The beautiful 4 story deck that i fell in loved with during rush week was gone, with cars were they once were. We are sooo incredibly lucky that no one was hurt or killed. And many of our girls were able to get a lot of their possesions out. keep our live ins in your prayers because its such a hard time right now, I cant imagine what it must be like. But this has only made our chapter so much closer and stronger.

You really dont know what you have till its gone, so never take your chapter house for granted, i know its just a structure and the sorority is within the sisters, but that was more than house, i realized that when i saw the looks on the seniors faces and the tears when they saw the house, and how my president broke down walking up to our broken home. So many women have the best memories of their lives in that house.
The house will be torn down April 25th, and i know there will be a hole in 106 girls hearts when we walk down Washington st. and see and empty lot were our once gorgeous house stood. we are now hoping and praying that we will have somewhere to live together next year,and a structure for recruitment, even tho nothing will be able to replace our achio home. i hope that i can live with 47 of my best friends. Keep the girls in your prayers!!! Alphi Chi at Iowa is not gone.....our sisterhood is stronger than ever....if we can get through a tornado we can get through any thing!!!!!

Oh sweetie I hope you and your chapter hang in there..... AXOs around the country (and any other well wishers) should definitely check out the Iowa AXOs Target gift registry. Nothing can replace all of what you've lost, but at least we can help you get some things to help you get back on your feet. Take care. Best wishes to you!

SO much love in the bond,
Emily

Has the list not been posted or something? I went to their Target page to see if I could help out and there were no items listed on there. In any case, I hope that the AChiO chapter is able to get on its feet and strengthen its bond in the face of this.

According to the AXO site, the wish list has been fulfilled!

Here are some other things we can do to help:

What else you can do for Sigma Chapter

Edited to add: Please see munchkin's post ^ , which appeared while I was writing mine. Munchkin's post has a link that gives excellent options for ways to help.


KLPDaisy, oh yeah, I forgot. That happened to me yesterday. The thing is, they DID have a long list for a couple or three days -- towel sets, sheets, pillows, that kind of stuff (about 40 to 45 or so of everything). But everything on the list has been purchased by now, so all they had yesterday was a "thank you" message posted. I guess they haven't added any more "wants" to that list. Anyway, as the story in the Northwestern U paper says, there are other things that people are giving.

This is being Greek isnt it!:cool:

This is Why We are where We are, for each other!

Go AXO Ladys at Un. Iowa!:)

Oh good! I know my chapter bought some things for the girls a few days ago. I'm so glad that everything was purchased. Thanks for the update Munchkin!

I was going to purchase something from the Terget list last week, but by the time I got to it everything had been purchased, which is amazing. I just sent a monetary donation in the amount I would have spent to the address they had listed on the wish list. I'm glad people are helping them out!

I'm glad so many people have pitched in to help our sisters at the Sigma chapter :) I just got a note from someone from the chapter and they are doing well... probably better than they had expected! I'm hoping to see some of them at convention this summer :)

The Alpha Chi Omegas at Iowa have broken ground for a new house to replace the one destroyed by a tornado:

http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pb.../70413003/1079

exlurker, thanks for the update. Below is the link to the chapter's rebuilding effort.

Construction for the new house should begin in late May, completed in the summer 2008, and girls will move in that fall, Grady [rebuilding project manager] said.

The project will cost about $4 million, she said, and they are in the middle of a fundraising effort. She said people can support the project by visiting AXO Sigma Rebuild.

Does anyone have a link to a photo of the original house before the storm hit? It sounds like a beautiful home (and looks like it was too - from what you can envision from the storm damage photos). I was just curious to see a photo of the home in its original condition. The 4 story deck sounds awesome!

Glad to hear that they will be constructing another home soon. Although it won't completely erase the sadness of losing the old house, soon there will be many new memories developed in the new one.

there site has like a billion pics.... none of their house tho :(

Yeah, I noticed - I did find a few older pictures of the house via a Google search, but none that included a view of the 4 story deck. (And one of the photos I saw was from 1927, and the house didn't look as big then...perhaps there had been an addition over the years?)

A few from the chapter website, but no good full shots of the house:

http://i17.tinypic.com/2eoxngy.jpg
http://i12.tinypic.com/4ci9h10.jpg

The deck was on the back of the house and, from what I remember, kind of stacked to where there was one deck and then stairs up to the deck on the next floor, etc... The decks were maybe 10x12? Maybe a little larger? I don't remember exactly. They probably had added on at some point, I believe most of the chapter houses at Iowa had additions to them due to growth in the 80s.