The Plains, Ohio hadn't experienced a tornado since 1937. So when tornado sirens sounded at
Athens (The Plains, Ohio) last Thursday evening during a girls soccer matchup with
Alexander (Albany, Ohio), players and fans were understandably caught off guard.
The two teams were enduring what was initially a lightning delay at the start of the second half when winds picked up considerably. Soon after, the tornado sirens went off. Though it was a freak occurrence in the small town in southeastern Ohio, the school handled the situation with poise.
The aftermath of the tornado that struck Athens.
Photo courtesy of Chuck Johnson
According to the Athens athletic director Chuck Robinson, the public address announcer instructed players and fans into the football locker room and concession stand as coaches helped facilitate the process on the field.
"Our coaching staff did a phenomenal job," Robinson said. "Our P.A. address people, Mr. Gibson and Mr. Thomas, did a great job of getting people out of the stands, doing it in a calm voice and not in a panic."
Robinson was in the gymnasium at the time watching a volleyball game. Two minutes after he received reports of the sirens, the lights in the gymnasium went out. The roughly 200 players and fans were directed toward inner classrooms.
Meanwhile, the tornado ripped off two HVAC units from the top of the school's roof and completely tore apart the field's press box. The fans and players from the soccer game gathered in the locker room and concession stand were also in the dark.
According to a first-hand account from Kevin Wiseman, a writer for The Athens Messenger who was there to report on the game and ended up taking cover in the concession stand, roughly 10 people were huddled together in the small structure adjacent to the field.
Moments later, the funnel ripped off half of its roof.
"All bets were off," Wiseman wrote. "I hit the ground so fast I didn't have time to put my phone in my pocket."
Debris were everywhere, and some people had been struck by pieces of wood, according to Wiseman. As the tornado passed, parents and players tried to connect with one another to receive assurance that their loved ones were accounted for. However, the deluge of simultaneous phone calls was more than the phone lines could handle and most calls could not be completed.
When it was deemed safe, groups from both makeshift emergency shelters were allowed out. The damage was evident; not only did the concession stand lose half of its roof, but a tree was downed in its direct vicinity.
The locker room, where most of the people were gathered, was passed over. Amazingly, no one sustained any major injuries.
"A few minor injuries was all that we had," Robinson said. "We were very, very fortunate."
Athens is working to reschedule its remaining soccer games. Robinson has been working with Ohio University, which has expressed a willingness to allow the school to play its home games on the university's campus at Chessa Field.
Robinson remains proud of the job his players did at handling the emergency.
"Our kids did a great job of handling a crisis situation," he said. "They listened to what everyone told them to do and did it."
