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Wind Storm Does Damage, Cuts Power at Montreat Conference Center
Tuesday’s calm breezes and bright sunshine found crews cleaning up at Montreat Conference Center. In the aftermath of violent winds that passed through western North Carolina Sunday night and Monday, a one hundred year old elm was uprooted and toppled in the parking lot of Anderson Auditorium, a large tree now leans precariously against the side of Lookout Lodge, and another tree was uprooted outside the Presbyterian Heritage Center – just a few of the numerous fallen or dangerously leaning trees being cut and removed throughout the conference center grounds. In addition, a branch driven by the fierce gusts pierced the roof of Convocation Hall in Assembly Inn. Downed power lines cut electricity, forcing a decision by management to close the conference center on Monday.
“As heavily wooded as the conference center is, we’re actually very fortunate,” said Mike Morse, Vice President for Hospitality at the conference center. “At this point, we estimate the cost of tree removal at around $6,000 and repairs to structural damage at another $1,000 or so.”
Vice President for Program Development and Marketing, Merri Bass, agreed. “Thankfully, we had no conferences in session at the time. If this had happened a couple of weeks from now, as our summer season begins, that tree at Anderson Auditorium would have fallen on a parking lot filled with people and cars for a conference or summer worship, and the damage could have been so much worse. People could have been hurt.”
Montreat Conference Center is one of three national conference centers of the Presbyterian Church (USA), but receives no money from the national church. Expenses for unexpected repairs such as storm or wind damage are underwritten by contributions from individuals and churches to Montreat Conference Center’s Annual Fund. Information about the fund is available at www.montreat.org/supporting, or call 828.669.2911 or 800.572.2257, ext. 306.