"It was surreal," said Dr. Roy Baker, superintendent of the George W. Norris School District. "Initially, it was difficult to comprehend the magnitude of what had occurred. It looked like photos we've seen of military bombings, with debris and overturned vehicles scattered about a broad area."
The cataclysm, which occurred in only a few minutes on May 22, 2004, would cost $25 million in reconstruction. Major sections of roofs had been torn away, leaving classrooms, auditoriums, and other spaces exposed to weather. Some walls were torn apart. Windows were blown out.