“When I saw where the damage occurred, I realized it is where we line up our fourth graders for lunch,” Principal Mike Katko said in the April 18 Los Alamos Monitor. “This could have been 10 times worse.” The wind also sheared a giant Ponderosa pine at its base and threw roof beams as far as 50 yards.
“Our immediate concern has been to protect our library books until a permanent roof can be installed,” Katko told the paper. The roof was being tarred as a temporary measure, and the school plans to replace the roof with one that will last at least 30 years.
Posted April 21, 2006.