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to the public are no longer valid and only individuals holding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

[R.C.]

Is the championship still going to be held in Atlanta, I heard storms have past through and damaged the area?

just wondering if anyone could shed some light in this matter.

[Danny McC]

As far as we know the Championship will still be held in Atlanta. As far as I know FIRST has not stated otherwise.

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by rc_cola1323

Is the championship still going to be held in Atlanta, I heard storms have past through and damaged the area?

just wondering if anyone could shed some light in this matter.

There are a few threads regarding this topic in CD.
This is a post that KTorak has taken the time to post in the different threads.
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...9&postcount=22

btw, thank you Kyle, for posting the info.
Jane

[KTorak]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

There are a few threads regarding this topic in CD.
This is a post that KTorak has taken the time to post in the different threads.
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...9&postcount=22

btw, thank you Kyle, for posting the info.
Jane

No problem. I figured I should go ahead and get the information I could before a hundred different rumors begin.

[ChrisH]

The first thing that has to happen is that structural and HVAC engineers among others need to assess the damage and how long it will take to fix. They can then consult with the GWCC management to see which events must be canceled or sent elsewhere. That will take until Monday at the earliest to get good numbers and information on lead times. It might actually take a few more days than that.

Meanwhile FIRST HQ will be scrambling to find potential alternate sites. But many sites are booked months in advance and there will be significant logistical issues involved with going to a new location. Even if they find a site they won't announce it until the contract has been signed and that will probably take at least a week to negotiate.


Bottom line I wouldn't even expect an announcement until Tuesday and more likely Tuesday the 25th. I know everybody will be anxious until then but sometimes you just can't rush things.

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

There are a few threads regarding this topic in CD.
This is a post that KTorak has taken the time to post in the different threads.
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...9&postcount=22

btw, thank you Kyle, for posting the info.
Jane

[artdutra04]

As many would understandably know, the situation in Atlanta is a pressing issue for FIRST and the many FRC, FTC, FLL, and JFLL teams attending. And there are a lot of people currently following the situation closely.

However, there are five current threads on this topic, including this one.

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=65863
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=65860
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=65861
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=65892

Can a moderator please merge all five of these threads into a single thread, to make it easier for everyone to keep track of any and all updates to the situation in Atlanta?

Thanks!

[Uberbots]

Originally Posted by ChrisH

The first thing that has to happen is that structural and HVAC engineers among others need to assess the damage and how long it will take to fix. They can then consult with the GWCC management to see which events must be canceled or sent elsewhere. That will take until Monday at the earliest to get good numbers and information on lead times. It might actually take a few more days than that.

Meanwhile FIRST HQ will be scrambling to find potential alternate sites. But many sites are booked months in advance and there will be significant logistical issues involved with going to a new location. Even if they find a site they won't announce it until the contract has been signed and that will probably take at least a week to negotiate.


Bottom line I wouldn't even expect an announcement until Tuesday and more likely Tuesday the 25th. I know everybody will be anxious until then but sometimes you just can't rush things.

more than likely the event will still be held at the georgia dome/GWCC C.
The repairs there couldnt take more than a couple of weeks, considering the importance of these 2 buildings to the city.

[feliks_rosenber]

I was wondering, is that an unprecedented incident ?
Does anyone know anything about it ?

[Vikesrock]

Originally Posted by feliks_rosenber

I was wondering, is that an unprecedented incident ?
Does anyone know anything about it ?

Don't remember which article I read it in, but it is supposedly the first recorded tornado to strike downtown Atlanta.

[laultima]

Originally Posted by Vikesrock

Don't remember which article I read it in, but it is supposedly the first recorded tornado to strike downtown Atlanta.

It was in the caption to this picture, posted by dangerousdave.
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/30998?

[Aidan F. Browne]

Official status is being posted here:

http://www.gwcc.com

and here:

http://www.gadome.com

[dangerousdave]

Here is an update to venues in downtown Atlanta that we are hearing about on our drive into work today (Monday morning).

• Nobody was killed downtown however, 2 people died in other GA counties. Had the SEC Basketball Tournament not gone to overtime, many more thousands of people would have been outside when the tornado hit
• The GA Dome (competition venue) is working to get the building ready for Easter Sunday services which can hopefully be held
• The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) has canceled or postponed events through the end of March. For those that do not know, this is where the "pits" are located each year
• Exhibitors that had displays in the GWCC during the storm have still not been allowed back into the building to break down their displays
• IMHO, the GWCC buildings will be the only venue that MAY not be ready for the Championship event. Again, I stress MAY not be ready. These buildings bring in millions of dollars in trade shows etc
• CNN Center food court is open today
• The GA Aquarium and World of Coke are open
• Approximately $200+ million in damage to downtown Atlanta
• People are being encouraged to stay out of the downtown area if they do not work in that area. In other words, gawkers stay home
• A few downtown streets are closed due to glass that may still may fall from buildings that have not been boarded up or had the glass replaced
• Downtown hotels are open with a small number of rooms damaged after the windows were blown out

Moderators, I second the motion to combining the threads if possible on the Atlanta Tornado so there can be a centralized thread for info. There are at least 4 in the General, Championship & Extra Discussion forums.

Dave

[Ken Streeter]

FIRST has updated their home page with a new announcement as of 2pm on 3/17, essentially saying to "stay tuned for more info" as they figure out what the impact of the natural disaster will be upon the Championship Event.

The direct link to the FIRST page with the announcement is http://www.usfirst.org/who/content.aspx?id=8626

Quoted below for convenience:

Atlanta Storm Damage

TO: The FIRST Community
RE: FIRST Championship

This weekend, the Atlanta area was struck by severe weather including a tornado in the downtown area. As a result, two people were killed and significant damage was done throughout the area. FIRST would like to extend our sympathy to the families of those who have suffered the effects of the storm, as well as the officials involved in the recovery effort.

Also, as a result of the storm damage, weekend events at the Georgia Dome, Centennial Olympic Park, and the Georgia World Congress Center were disrupted. We are currently working with officials at the Georgia Dome, Georgia World Congress Center, and the City of Atlanta to assess what impact this might have on the FIRST Championship scheduled for April 17-19.

We will provide information to the FIRST community as soon as it is available.

Updates will be posted here.

[Kims Robot]

Im sure FIRST HQ has been incredibly busy (and anxious for any decisions), and its great that they plan to keep us up to date...

But I had a thought... have any of the mentors, senior mentors, or anyone checked into if there is anything we as FIRST teams can do? Many of us have flights booked down Wednesday morning or leave late Sunday or monday, and could easily spend a bunch of our free time helping cleanup, do rebuilding, or whatever they need volunteer efforts at. With probably the largest organization of technical people, and volunteering students that will descend upon Atlanta, I have to believe there is something we can do to help

I'd be willing to make some contacts, but I really dont know who I would talk to, I thought maybe some of the senior mentors might have more of an "In" as to what is going on or who we might talk to without bugging people.