Tornado Causes Extensive Damage
to Fort Worth’s Downtown Library
A tornado that struck downtown Fort Worth, Texas, March 28 caused up to $1 million in damage to the city’s recently renovated Central Library. The storm broke doors and windows on all sides of the two-block-long building, broke chunks off the outside wall covering, and shattered a skylight, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported March 29. It also overturned a library delivery truck and collapsed a wall between the library and the city cable-TV station.
Library Director Gleniece Robinson told the newspaper that patrons began screaming and running when the tornado struck around 6:15 p.m., filling the air with broken glass and dust. “There were a couple of kids who were in the youth center and we believe they got hurt when the windows blew in,” she said, adding that they suffered minor cuts. Robinson noted that most of the facility is located underground, “which is the safest place to be.”
The 180,000-square-foot building reopened in October after a $7-million, four-year expansion. No reports on the extent of damage to the collection were available. The library was expected to reopen by the weekend.
Posted April 3, 2000.
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