Upper Dublin High School Reopens After Repairs Due To Hurricane Ida Damage

UPPER DUBLIN, PA — Even though the 2021-22 school year has been underway for a little while now, Monday actually marked only the second day in a physical classroom setting for high schoolers after a tornado that came through the community on Sept. 1 caused the school building to shutter for repairs.

High school students are now back in their school building, and school officials say the transition back couldn't have gone more smooth.

"Things are going well," Superintendent of Schools Steven Yanni told Patch. "Couldn't have gone better."

There is still air quality equipment onsite at Upper Dublin High School, since much of the ventilation was damaged during the storms spawned early in the month by Hurricane Ida, Yanni told local television news station Fox 29 on Monday.

"We're still in the COVID-19 pandemic and we wanted to make sure kids were safe back in the building," Yanni told the station.

Yanni said that a lot of the equipment onsite is temporary because of supply chain shortages across the country. But eventually the district would obtain more permanent fixes, he stated on the broadcast.

Yanni subsequently tweeted a thank-you to all operations crew members at the district who helped get the high school ready for the return of students.

The school district also took to Facebook, posting, "It's a great day to be a UDHS Cardinal! Welcome back!!"

Upper Dublin was one of the Montgomery County communities that were hit extremely hard by Hurricane Ida, which came through Southeastern Pennsylvania on Sept. 1.

In addition to the damage to the high school, Fort Washington Elementary School also sustained much damage due to a tornado that cut a path through the municipality.

Students from Fort Washington ended up having to be split between the district's three other elementary schools: Jarrettown, Maple Glen and Thomas Fitzwater.

The Upper Dublin municipal complex was also damaged when a strong tornado took the roof off of the building, causing government offices and the police department to relocate elsewhere in the township.