OKLAHOMA CITY - Thursday's storm left behind a trail of damage across the metro. Tree limbs were thrown about and power lines were snapped in two. One of the hardest hit locations, Dennis Elementary, in the Putnam City School District.
Student were out of class Friday while officials tried to get started on the cleanup. Officials say the storm caused more than $1.5 million in damage.
Steve Lindley, district spokesman, says, "When we came in last night the floors here were 2-3 inches under water."
But by noon Friday things were starting to look better. Tiles that had fallen from the ceiling to the floor below were piled in garbage bags throughout the hallways.
Lindley says, "It's starting to look like an elementary school again. Now, there's still a lot of work to go."
Jim Hooper, director of operations for the district, says, "The roof, because it's flat, once the wind got under it it peeled it up and it went in layers from there."
HVAC units were shredded and skylights thrown about. Immediately following the storm firefighters laid plastic over the school's media center, potentially saving some of the books and computers. While there is a lot of work to be done crews are working hard to get it completed as soon as possible.
Hooper says, "We'll just have to go through things book by book and see what we have."
School officials say classes won't be at the building for several weeks. They are working on a plan of what students will do in the meantime. They are looking at other schools and churches nearby to see where they can put students until things are cleaned up.
Student were out of class Friday while officials tried to get started on the cleanup. Officials say the storm caused more than $1.5 million in damage.
Steve Lindley, district spokesman, says, "When we came in last night the floors here were 2-3 inches under water."
But by noon Friday things were starting to look better. Tiles that had fallen from the ceiling to the floor below were piled in garbage bags throughout the hallways.
Lindley says, "It's starting to look like an elementary school again. Now, there's still a lot of work to go."
Jim Hooper, director of operations for the district, says, "The roof, because it's flat, once the wind got under it it peeled it up and it went in layers from there."
HVAC units were shredded and skylights thrown about. Immediately following the storm firefighters laid plastic over the school's media center, potentially saving some of the books and computers. While there is a lot of work to be done crews are working hard to get it completed as soon as possible.
Hooper says, "We'll just have to go through things book by book and see what we have."
School officials say classes won't be at the building for several weeks. They are working on a plan of what students will do in the meantime. They are looking at other schools and churches nearby to see where they can put students until things are cleaned up.
