Tulsa International Airport's Radisson Inn begins clean up after the storm

The Tulsa International Airport's Radisson hotel sustained heavy damage from a small tornado that struck the hotel and the airport early Sunday morning. <br/><br/>News on 6 Ashli Sims says the general

Sunday, April 2nd 2006, 4:24 pm

By: News On 6

The Tulsa International Airport's Radisson hotel sustained heavy damage from a small tornado that struck the hotel and the airport early Sunday morning.

News on 6 Ashli Sims says the general manager at the Radisson says this hotel has withstood a lot in its 35 years so he was shocked at what he found.

Kevin Roberts: "very surprised that this building would take any damage or have damage like this."

Concrete roofing reduced to chunks of rubble, steel beams snapped like twigs, and metal roofing exposed and dangling.

Hotel officials say two children were staying in one room alone and their parents had to kick through a door to try to get to them and bring them to safety.

Kevin Roberts: "it was amazing no one was hurt we had very few guests with cuts, bruises but that was it, no one was seriously hurt."

Roberts says hotel staff, police officers and the fire department did a great job, evacuating the hotel quickly and safely. The guests were relocated to the nearby Hilton and the Southern Hills Marriott.

Kevin Roberts: â€œjust very glad for the safety of the guests everybody was taken care of and the guests were safe and I thank them for their understanding."

Trees in the hotel courtyard were tossed into the pool but the damage didn't end there. The storm also left its mark in Tulsa International Airport's parking lot. High winds and debris shattered car windows from one end of the lot to the other. And the covered parking offered no protection, with the wind ripping the canopy clean off of some sections.

Now the Radisson Inn faces the difficult job of cleaning up and rebuilding.