Va. Tech shooting survivor to speak

WEST CHESTER >> With a good amount of communication, a solid and immediate plan of action and a little bit of luck, student Lisa Hamp survived the April 16, 2007 Virginia Tech mass shooting.

Hamp and others barricaded a door and waited 11 minutes for police to secure the school. A shooter killed 32 and wounded 17.

“It was the longest 11 minutes of my life,” Hamp said. “Time is a funny thing.”

As part of the regular speaker series, Hamp will be speaking at Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center, Tuesday, Oct, 16.

Hamp will talk about when bullets flew through that door, her long-term denial and lessons learned from the tragedy.

“A mass shooting won’t happen to me,” she said. “Not at my school, and not in my community. “That’s what I thought.” Hamp lived through the worst school shooting in history.

“The truth is it’s always someone’s loved ones and someone’s community,” she said.

Hamp returned to Virginia Tech and graduated. The married, 32-year-old is raising a 5-month-old and a 2-year-old.

“It’s a mix of emotions,” she said. “It was difficult to go back but it was therapeutic.

“Going back helps me process what happened.”

And does she worry about her kids?

“Today I don’t,” she said. “But when they get to elementary school I think I will.

“Active shooter events hurt a community longterm.”

At the speaker series, Hamp will talk about preparations.

“It’s not guaranteed safety, you have to take precautions,” she said. “You have to have a plan for places you are whether it’s school or work.”

Uptown! Knauer Performing Art Center is conveniently located near parking, shopping and restaurants at 226 N. High Street in West Chester. Tickets for the Tuesday, Oct. 16, 6:30 p.m. speaker series event are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Go to uptownwestchester.org or call 610-356-ARTS for tickets and information.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Virginia Tech shooting survivor Lisa Hamp is set to speak at Uptown!