No one was injured when a tornado struck Cubberley Elementary School in Long Beach, Calif., while school was in session January 9, peeling off a 1,200-square-foot layer of roofing on the library and shattering windows, staining ceiling tiles, and causing water damage to 30 books.
The next day, Cubberley librarian Jaci Matson turned the tornado into a science lesson for third graders, Richard Van Der Laan, director of Public and Employee Information for the school district, told American Libraries. Using the only book about twisters left in the library that had not been checked out, Matson asked the children whether they'd prefer to be in a twister or a tremblor; earthquakes won by a landslide.
Posted January 19, 1998.