Lakers opens their doors to Purdue Northwest after devastating storm

The storm that tore across Purdue University Northwest’s campus on August 11 was unlike anything Rick Costello had experienced.

The derecho produced hurricane-force winds, thunderstorms and tornadoes. Damage was extensive and widespread. Power lines downed. Trees uprooted. Homes smashed by falling branches. 

The storm swept across the Chicagoland and northwest Indiana region. Power on Purdue Northwest’s campus was knocked out for six days before finally being restored in time for fall classes. 

“The last five summers have gotten progressively worse when it comes to the weather,” said Costello, the university’s director of athletics. “It's starting to feel like Tornado Alley has moved.”

For Costello, the safety and security of his student athletes were foremost on his mind. Amid the destruction and the darkness of the crisis, Costello and his Athletics Department found a temporary haven in Allendale. 

“I’ve never seen anything like that.”

Late in the morning of August 11, Purdue Northwest women’s soccer coach Mary Whisler and her team had just completed practice on the pitch and were continuing their training session in the weight room. The Lions were in the final weeks of preparing for their season opener on August 27.

Whisler said the university was providing continual weather updates, but the storm’s intensity caught her team by surprise.

“The storm picked up, and the lights flickered a little bit,” Whisler said. “We told the team, there’s a tornado watch now, so we’re going to stay in here until it’s over. We were in the weight room for an hour-and-a-half.

“Something just felt different about that one. It was very creepy. We had no idea of the devastation of it all.” 

The National Weather Service confirmed a derecho — a destructive windstorm that’s created by severe thunderstorms and produces powerful straight-line winds — spawned eight tornadoes and wind gusts reaching 100 mph that ripped through the Chicagoland and northwest Indiana region . 

“It just wiped out the entire area,” Whisler said. “It was like an inland hurricane. I could walk out of the weight room and look down the street and see this big tree that crashed through a home.”

Northern Indiana Public Service Co., the region’s electricity provider, said more than 370,000 customers lost power as a result of the storms . Two weeks after the storm, NIPSCO crews were finally able to restore power throughout the region.

“I grew up in the Midwest, but I've never seen anything like that,” Whisler said.

A call for help

Immediately, Costello began calling his peers looking for help providing a temporary home and training facilities for the Lions’ men’s and women’s soccer teams and volleyball team — as many as 100 student athletes and their coaches.

One of the first calls was to GVSU’s Director of Athletics Keri Becker. 

“Keri is amazing. She never hesitated at all,” Costello said. “She called me right back and said ‘I think we can help you out.’”

As soon as Costello connected with Becker, she began checking around campus — could they make this work? Becker’s first call was to Colleen Bailey, director of Residence Life.

“I told her we’re probably looking at 100 people who maybe need a week, so what can you do?” Becker said. “If you can do three days, that’s fine. She got right on it and emailed me back within hours.”

Other departments quickly became involved. Bailey checked with Facilities Service and Laker Food Co. on what they could offer. Fortunately, Housing and Residence Life had availability as the living centers were transitioning from summer camp sessions to Move-In Day.  

“We were able to mobilize 100 rooms quickly,” Bailey said. “By 1 p.m., we were able to say yes. By 4 p.m., we had the rooms ready to go.”

While the initial request included the three Lions teams, members of the men’s soccer and volleyball teams decided to remain in Indiana to tend to family needs.

In the end, the women’s soccer team made the trip to Allendale.

For three days, the Lions resided on the third floor of Holton-Hooker Living Center with full access to GVSU’s athletic and training facilities, before returning to their campus on August 16. 

The goodwill and hospitality provided by GVSU and Becker won’t be forgotten by Costello, Whisler and the student athletes. 

“Keri was instrumental,” Whisler said. “She walked us through everything and made sure our training pitch was good, and we could access the weight room. 

“She checked in with us and made time to walk us through everything. She didn’t have to do that. I will never not remember that.”

Despite the traumatic experience for his student athletes, Costello said it’s also strengthened bonds between the Lions’ student athletes and coaches. 

“The resiliency that our coaches, our kids, our staff showed through this was pretty amazing,” Costello said. “From my seat, it was very awesome to see the togetherness, like a family. It was great to see that folks that we compete against all the time, that there’s a welcoming atmosphere and partnership there if you need it.” 

Only one meeting is scheduled between the teams for this season — an October 25 match in Hammond. But, Costello said he expects this year’s match to carry special significance. 

“We love to compete against Grand Valley because they're the standard bearer in the league in just about every sport, so it's always a big game on our schedule,” Costello said. “I think there will be a special camaraderie between the two soccer teams when they play.” 

For Becker, the moment exemplified the Grand Valley camaraderie and spirit that she’s experienced since joining the Athletics Department in 2011. 

“I was just the connector,” Becker said. “All of the thanks goes to Housing and Residence Life, Facilities Services and Laker Food Co. for saying 'yes.' It’s such a reflection of the people we have here at Grand Valley.