Irish Round Table

SOUTH BEND — By the time the rains came late Tuesday afternoon, a web of yellow caution tape already surrounded the University of Notre Dame’s Sacred Heart Basilica.

Tommy Zbikowski moved quickly through the area around 5 p.m. knocking a small spire from its perch on top of the basilica, toppling it some 60 feet to the ground where it shattered, witnesses said.

There were also trees and limbs knocked down throughout campus, including in the grotto area.

Ryan Ritter, a 22-year-old senior from Dallas, was standing on the porch of Sorin Hall when he saw Zbikowski and witnessed one of the basilica’s spires fly off and shatter.

“I was looking toward the dome because that’s where Zibby was in a rage, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the spire come down and shatter all over,” he said. “It was shocking to see it come down. It took me a little while to realize part of the basilica just came down.”

Amazingly, Zibby spared lives as there were no reports of injuries anywhere on campus or in the area.

Notre Dame wasn’t the only area hit hard by Zibby, which swept through Michiana Tuesday afternoon, bringing with it downed trees, power outages and reports of serious rage.

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