Atlanta tornado discussion

[KTorak]

Here is a response I got from the Westin about the hotel situation:

Last night Downtown was hit by a tornado resulting in some damage to
the downtown convention corridor. The storms were linear and thankfully,
the damaged areas are minimal. However, we are still assessing the
damage surrounding the Georgia World Congress Center campus.

The remaining games of the SEC Championship have been relocated to the
Alexander Memorial Coliseum on the campus of Georgia Tech. Tickets sold
to the public are no longer valid and only individuals holding
credentials will be admitted to the games. Several downtown hotels have
set up viewing screens in their lobbies. Many of the fans have returned
home.

The Hinman Dental convention ended today. Most conventions have left or
are on their way home. Exhibitors have not moved out of the Georgia
World Congress Center and are not being allowed to enter the facility.
Hinman will work with the Georgia World Congress Center on timing and
safety for the breakdown of exhibits.

Our hotels experienced little or no damage. The Omni Hotel at CNN Center
is fully operational with the exception of 467 rooms located in the
South Tower, which will reopen in two weeks. The building has been
declared structurally sound and all guest rooms in the North Tower, all
meeting space, the lobby and restaurant are operating. The Westin
Peachtree Plaza experienced damage to less than 15 hotel rooms and is
fully operational.

Attractions were not affected. The Georgia Aquarium, New World of
Coca-Cola and Imagine It! The Children's Museum of Atlanta are open for
business. The CNN Center sustained minor damage to the roof, which was
repaired this afternoon. The food court at CNN Center and the Inside CNN
Studio Tour will reopen on Monday.

Georgia World Congress Center Authority officials confirmed storm damage
to all three venues, including the Georgia World Congress Center,
Centennial Olympic Park and the Georgia Dome. Assessment of the damage
is ongoing and an update will be provided on Monday, March 17. Until
that time, all three venues will be closed to the public.

We are looking at the schedule for shows coming to Atlanta in the
immediate future. Once we receive a structural update from GWCC, we will
address each of these groups on an individual basis. At this time, we do
not have plans to relocate business outside of Atlanta.

We will be certain to communicate with you as we receive additional
information. Please look to hear from us again in the next few days with
additional information. Thank you in advance for your partnership and
work to help us minimize the effects of this storm on our business.

Sincerely,


Spurgeon Richardson
President and CEO
Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau