Tornado strikes downtown Atlanta

A tornado ripped through downtown Atlanta on Friday, March 14, causing a lot of damage and shock. “I can’t imagine a tornado hitting downtown” says Amanda Corbitt. She was on her way to the downtown area but changed her mind when the weather looked bad. “I’m so glad I didn’t go down there,” she says, “I don’t know what I would have done.” The tornado reached speeds up to 130mph and was classified as an EF2 according the National Weather Service. The storm took a 6-mile path through the city, damaging many of its popular sites. The CNN Center, Georgia Dome, and Phillips Arena are just a few of the major buildings who suffered at the hands of the storm. Many windows were blown out of the Equitable Building and tall columns were knocked over at Centennial Olympic Park. Many hotels, such as the Omni and Westin Peachtree Plaza, had severe damage as well.So far no casualties have been reported and officials are encouraging citizens not to travel into the downtown area. The city has not yet given an estimated amount of damage.