AS WELL. KENDALL SO ANOTHER RAINY WEEK FOR THE SOUTHEAST LOOKS LIKE IT ON AND TEXAS IS ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY AFTER AN EF THREE TORNADO RIPPED THROUGH PARTS OF THE HOUSTON AREA, THE TWISTER WAS THE STRONGEST TO HIT THAT AREA SINCE 2015 AND THE DAMAGE LEFT BEHIND IS BEING DESCRIBED AS
CATASTROPHIC. YES IT REALLY IS. AND FOX 26 HOUSTON REPORTER CHELSEA EDWARDS IS IN DEER PARK, TEXAS, THE LOOK AT ONE OF THE CITY’S STAPLES THAT WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED. WE’RE HERE IN DEER PARK AREA SOUTHEAST OF HOUSTON , WHERE IT IS SUNNY AND IT’S WARMED UP A BIT. WE’RE IN THE MID FIFTIES
. HOWEVER THIS IS WHAT MANY OF THE RESIDENTS HERE ARE DEALING WITH BUSINESS OWNERS AS WELL. WE ARE AT SKATE WORLDS, A PILLAR IN THE COMMUNITY HERE AFTER THAT, EF THREE TORNADO HIT OWNER JAY MALONE CAME HERE TO FIND THIS MESS. TELL ME WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST REACTION IS SHOCK. THAT’S NOT ALL
I CAN SAY I WAS IN SHOCK. AND SO NOW THE CLEANUP IS CONTINUING. YOU’VE BEEN AT IT FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. NOW TELL US WHERE YOU ARE IN THE PROCESS. WELL RIGHT NOW WE’RE JUST TRYING TO GET THE FLOOR FROM DEHUMIDIFIER AND GETTING ALL THE MOISTURE OFF THE WOULD SKATE FLOOR
AND THEN KIND OF WENT FOR AN INSURANCE ADJUSTER TO LET US START TEARING STUFF UP AND CLEAN IT UP AND START REBUILDING. THE FLOOR IS A MONEYMAKER, BUT YOU’VE BEEN ABLE TO, I GUESS, KEEP A COUPLE OF THINGS HERE. IT’S ALSO ABOUT SOMETHING. I GUESS SOME OF THE FORTUNATE
THINGS THAT HAVE MADE IT THROUGH THE STORM. WELL YEAH. ALL MY RENTAL SKATES WERE COME OUT FINEST. IT’S KIND OF WEIRD BECAUSE ONE THE WHOLE BUILDING IS MESSED UP, EXCEPT ONE CORNER, WHICH IS REALLY STRANGE AND THE SKATES ARE STILL THERE. THEY DIDN’T EVEN GET WET. SO ALL THAT
SAVED MOST OF MY SNACK BAR EQUIPMENT DIDN’T REALLY GET MESSED UP. IT’S A IT’S MOSTLY A LOT OF STRUCTURE. SOME TABLES ARE CRUSHED. VIDEO GAMES ARE CRUSHED. BUT OTHER THAN THAT, WE’RE ALL HEALTHY. SO IT’S ALL GOOD . AND WE’RE LOOKING AT TAKING A LOOK AT THAT WALL THAT WAS JUST LOOKS
LIKE IT WAS JUST TAKEN OUT. IT LOOKS LIKE A BOMB WENT OFF. IT’S JUST JUST PROBABLY ABOUT 180 FT. OF CINDER BLOCK WALL. I DON’T KNOW IT’S ABOUT 10 12 FT. TALL, JUST GONE ALL THE WAY. FLORIDA CEILINGS GONE. WOW WOW! AND LOOKING AT ALL THIS DAMAGE. IT IS HARD TO
IMAGINE THAT NATALIE IN THE RIGHT HAND WOMAN OF THIS PLACE WAS HERE IN THE MIDST OF ALL THIS. TELL US WHAT THAT WAS LIKE FOR YOU. IT WAS VERY SCARY. UM SO HE CALLED ME AND HE TOLD ME GET OUT OF THE OFFICE RIGHT NOW. THERE’S A TORNADO AND I
WAS LIKE I LAUGHED AT HIM. I’M LIKE ARE YOU THROUGH? HE’S LIKE, NO, I’M DEAD, SERIOUS RUN, LIKE GET OUT OF THE OFFICE AND GO TO THE RIGHT CORNER. I THOUGHT HE MEANT LIKE FAR RIGHT CORNER. HE JUST MEANT LIKE ANOTHER RIGHT CORNER ANYWAY, SO I GET UP AND I
LOOK AND THAT’S WHEN I CAN SEE THAT IT’S DARK IN THE DOOR TO THE BUILDING IS COMPLETELY OPEN AND I TELL HIM I’M GOING TO GO SHUT THAT DOOR AND HE SAID NO RUN NOW. SO THEN I STARTED RUNNING. AND THEN THIS ALL THE CEILING TILES SUCKED UP AND THEY
STARTED LIKE COMING DOWN LIKE A SNAKE. IT WAS THE WEIRDEST THING. THERE’S DISCO BALLS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FLOOR. THEY SUCKED UP FROM THE PRESSURE. AND THEN I KIND OF MADE MY WAY TO THE MIDDLE, AND I’M JUST KIND OF STANDING THERE AND THEN THE CORNER OF THE BUILDING STARTS TO
COME OFF. SO THEN I RAN. I GOT IN THE DJ BOOTH. PUT MY HOOD UP AND I JUST TOOK MYSELF DOWN. I GRABBED MY BELLY AND I JUST SCREAMED BLOODY MURDER ON THE PHONE WITH HIM UNTIL IT STOPPED. MY GOODNESS. AND HOW ARE YOU DOING AFTER ALL THAT? MY DOCTOR SAYS EVERYTHING’S
OK. I DIDN’T GET HIT IN THE BELLY JUST TO TAKE IT EASY. SO THAT’S WHAT I’M DOING. GOOD TO HEAR. GOOD TO HEAR YOUR OKAY AND ALSO WE DIDN’T HAVE ANY REPORTED INJURIES IN THIS AREA J. WHAT’S BEEN THE RESPONSE FROM THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE THIS PLACE HAS BEEN HERE SINCE
1977. SO A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE MEMORIES HERE. LOTS OF PEOPLE A LOT OF PEOPLE COMING BY. FACES I RECOGNIZE THAT I HAVEN’T SEEN IN YEARS. PEOPLE MY AGE COMING, YOU KNOW, WE GREW UP SKATING HERE. YOU KNOW, I’VE BEEN SKATING HERE’S FOR 50 YEARS. IT’S A LITTLE KIDS COMING UP
HERE WITH THEIR PARENTS, YOU KNOW, ALL UPSET, YOU KNOW? BEGGING ME TO REBUILD AND IN, SO IT’S BEEN. IT’S BEEN VERY HUMBLING TO KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE REALLY CARE. GOOD TO KNOW AND GOOD TO SEE EVERYBODY RALLYING AROUND YOU GUYS. HOW LONG IS IT GONNA TAKE TO GET THIS
PLACE BACK IN ORDER? I WOULD SAY NINE MONTHS GIVE AND TAKE WELL, HERE’S HOPING FOR A SPEEDY REBUILD. AND OF COURSE WE’LL STAY POSTED ON YOUR PROGRESS. THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHOWING THIS
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