Report: High Winds Could Topple Norman Building

Associated Press

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- An empty six-story building in downtown Norman has been found to be structurally unsound and could be brought down by a 50-mile-per-hour wind gust.

City officials have developed a plan to evacuate the area around Financial Center Building and create a "clear zone" in case of high winds or approaching storms.

The building's owner hired an engineering firm to assess its structural integrity after several cracks were discovered.

At that time the building's tenants such as Vista Restaurant and several law firms voluntarily vacated the building.

The owners now have a city permit to begin a temporary stabilization project and the work is scheduled to begin Monday and take eight weeks to complete.