Extensive damage was reported at the construction site of the new Church building at Saint Michael’s parish in Gainesville when a “probable tornado” hit the site Monday afternoon.

A construction crew was working as the storm approached. The foreman ordered the men off the job and into a nearby shed. One workman was injured. The worker, Dan Perdue, was released from the hospital after being treated for lacerations.

Father Thomas Kenny, pastor at Saint Michael’s, commented afterwards that “a reversal like this is much easier to take during Holy Week.”

He remarked that while damage to the building was extensive, the work would continue as soon as possible. He estimated that it would take between three and four months to rebuild what had been destroyed.

The National Weather Service in Gainesville reported that the storm was a “probable tornado” and that it struck shortly before 4 p.m. Monday.

A story and photographs of the damage will appear in next week’s BULLETIN.