A severe storm that bombarded the area on June 30 did especially terrible damage to Columbia, knocking down trees, ripping apart roofs and taking out power for the city for several days.

While many further south were left largely unscathed, the Monroe County YMCA off Route 3 took a severe beating from the intense winds and rain, leaving the building with damage that will be dealt with for months to come.

Monroe County YMCA Executive Director Kris Fulford offered some perspective on the extent of damage, noting that about 65 percent of the roof had been blown off by the tremendous winds.

While the roof damage was substantial in its own right, Fulford said substantial damage also occurred as a result of the rain that was able to hit most of the member-facing areas of the facility.

“Our building kind of looked like it had a toupee,” Fulford said. “It actually flipped it off of different sections of the building, so we have some photos of the building with the roof literally dangling off the edge. All that material is hanging off. So when it did that, we lost our protection from keeping water out of the majority of the building.”

Fulford further explained that damage from the storm only got worse. While folks were quick to respond and assist, they were unable to get the ceiling fully covered with a tarp before additional rains arrived July 1.

“When the second storm came through on Saturday, the roof was not entirely tarped,” Fulford said. “We actually took in more water the second time than the first time. Essentially the building was flooded twice.”

As Fulford described, much of the facility experienced severe flooding, with “multiple inches of water everywhere and on everything” – including many of the YMCA’s fitness equipment and desks.

On top of damage to the roof and facility furniture, rains also heavily impacted the floor. The tiled floor faced its own issues with an inch or two of water covering it, but the building’s hardwood floors inevitably soaked in the water that passed through the now warped boards.

Fulford noted a bit jokingly that the YMCA pool managed to avoid the rain.

Despite the extensive damage, Fulford managed to find a lighter side to the situation as she noted the excellent response from YMCA staff members who were present the night of the storm.

“That Friday night, no one in the community got a tornado drill,” Fulford said. “There were no tornado sirens so there was no indicator that normally would have caused someone to react as if there was an approaching tornado. Those indicators didn’t come. We just happened to have a person working the desk who has been a pilot. It was really unbelievable luck that she was looking at the wind speed and she was watching what was happening on radar.”

Fulford went on to say that, upon stepping outside and seeing the storm in the distance, this particular staff member managed to rally the rest of the present staff to get members using the facility to safety.

Fulford spoke highly of YMCA staff in general, noting how much effort goes toward ensuring staff members are “confident and competent” when it comes to safety response measures.

In this situation, she added, they managed to have the right person in the right place at the right time.

Fulford said that, thanks to insurance, the YMCA should have minimal expenses and revenue loss despite the substantial damages.

Currently, many of the facility’s usual summer operations are continuing, with the pool untouched by the storm and the fitness equipment moved elsewhere in the building.

Fulford offered her thanks to the community for its support, particularly Waterloo and Columbia school districts for hosting the YMCA’s summer camps and volleyball league, respectively.

In terms of repairs, she explained moisture in the building had largely been handled, with a company coming in to effectively pump in low-moisture air to push all the humid air out.

Looking ahead, Fulford said repairs to the building are set to get started soon and will hopefully be finished up completely at some point this fall.

She added that the YMCA is taking this opportunity to implement some slight improvements to the spaces seeing repairs.

First on the agenda, she said, is the roof, with the fitness space being fixed up concurrently.

“If that work is able to begin moving forward within a few weeks, then hopefully by the end of August we are back under solid, permanent roof, and we have our fitness center put back together,” Fulford said. “And then in September we would move forward with our hardwood floor.”

Fulford said she hopes for the repairs to be taken care of by October, though, given supply deliveries and all the other variables as well as the amount of work that needs to be done, she noted that it might take a bit longer.