OXFORD – Due to the good foresight and the efforts of various members of the community, the Oxford Middle School weathered the flooding caused by Tropical Storm Lee with relatively little damage.

According to Mark Hodge, superintendent of buildings and grounds, after what was essentially a 12-hour ordeal managing the flood waters, the school was relatively unscathed. He attributed this primarily to the flood gates purchased following the 2006 flood that caused more than $1 million in damage.

“The gates did their job,” he said. “We had some seepage around the edges, but we were able to use Wet-Vacs to mitigate any damage.”

The flood-gates cost more than $300,000; however, Hodge said, “They have paid for themselves.”

According to Secretary to the Superintendent Michele D. Rice, the damage to the interior of the middle school was minimal; only tile damage in a few of the extracurricular rooms. She explained that more extensive damage was done to the surrounding sports fields, but exact estimates could not be made until the water completely recedes.