Hurricane Ida Remembered At Temple Ambler Campus One Year Later

UPPER DUBLIN, PA — The Temple Ambler community came together during a remembrance ceremony earlier this month to reflect on the progress made in the year since Hurricane Ida blew through the region, causing widespread destruction at Montgomery County locations including the Ambler college campus.

The remembrance event took place on Sept. 1, which was the one-year anniversary since an EF2-level tornado charged through Upper Dublin Township, which is home to Temple Ambler, and caused damage to area schools, properties and even the municipal government complex.

"It is hard to believe that one year has passed since Hurricane Ida and the tornado," Vicki Lewis McGarvey, vice provost for University College and the Director of Temple's Ambler campus, said in a statement. "One of the primary reasons that is so hard to believe is simply looking at the campus today."

McGarvey stressed the restoration and cleanup efforts that have taken place at the bucolic campus during the past year, and thanked the campus community for its outpouring of support, "as we continue to recover, reimagine and rebuild."

Others who attended the remembrance ceremony were Montgomery County Commissioner Ken Lawrence, State Rep. Todd Stephens, R-Montgomery, State Sen. Maria Collett, D-Montgomery, State Sen. Vince Hughes, D-Montgomery/Philadelphia, and other Temple University representatives.

The program also included a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Temple Ambler Field Station Research Array, which was originally slated to take place on Sept. 1, 2021, the day that the tornado came to town.

During the evening of the remembrance ceremony, visitors had the opportunity to join Ambler Arboretum Director Kathleen Salisbury and certified nature and forest therapy guide Ryan Benz for a guided nature and forest therapy experience, in which participants had the opportunity to engage in research-based mindfulness practices designed to help with health and wellness, according to the school.

More about the remembrance ceremony, including a slideshow of photos from the event, as well as additional information about ongoing restoration efforts at Temple Ambler can be found through this link.

Upper Dublin Township itself was hit particularly hard by the tornado spawned by Hurricane Ida a year ago.

The community's police department had to relocate to the local library building after the government complex lost its roof and suffered other damage due to the tornado.

Related: 6 Months After Hurricane Ida's Carnage, Upper Dublin Recovering

The Upper Dublin High School and Fort Washington Elementary School were also damaged during the tornado, and it took months of recovery work to bring the buildings back up to working order.

Related: Ida Damaged High School Restored In Upper Dublin