By Reshelle Bihasa, Staff Writer 

Before the start of the Fall 2026 semester, several tornadoes hit the Greater Cincinnati area and near campus, causing power outages, flooding and wind damage. 

Many students were already on campus a week early for Manresa Orientation, Resident Assistant (RA) training, Smooth Transitions and more. 

“I was in the middle of Manresa training when the tornado warning occurred, and we ended up just sheltering in place in the GSC theater,” senior musical theatre major Gracie Phlipot said. “Thankfully, our time schedule was not disrupted too much, but I was definitely nervous at the time.”

Students had an XU Alert Me on their phones notifying them about the tornado warning on Aug. 11. When it was safe to leave their shelter area, students were alerted and advised to continue to monitor the weather for the next few hours.  

Junior accounting and business analytics double major Bradyn Padalecki was in the same boat as Phlipot. “They told us not to panic but we were going to start getting notifications about a tornado and we had to take shelter and go to the back of the theatre far from the stage,” Padalecki said. 

Many students living off campus returned to their residential areas and discovered flooding and no power near campus. 

“I didn’t realize the tornado had knocked the power out until I went back to my apartment that night. It was creepy seeing no lights in the stairwell nor in the hallway,” Padalecki said. “We didn’t get power back until 8:30 a.m. the next morning, but I have friends in houses near campus who didn’t get their power back for a few days.” 

“I live in a house off Wayland Ave, and our power was out from about the time the warning started until around 8 a.m. the next morning,” Phlipot said. 

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, nine tornadoes hit Ohio during the week, bringing severe thunderstorms and strong winds. The tornado within the greater Cincinnati area had wind speeds reach up to 100 mph and was classified as an EF1 tornado. More than 170,000 residents in the Greater Cincinnati region also lost power in the aftermath of the storm with several damages. Fortunately, there were no reports of fatal injuries.  

“I hadn’t realized the destruction until I was golfing to be honest. Some giant oak trees had been completely toppled over on the course and on the drive there,” sophomore social work major Ben Spillman said. 

As the weather continues to fluctuate in Cincinnati, students are encouraged to stay updated on changing weather conditions and new campus events.

“I thought Xavier did a good job communicating with students, sending out at least five alerts constantly updating us on taking cover,” Padalecki said.