Airport down, but not out after wind storm

If it weren’t for the chunks of twisted metal laid out on a sidewalk at the far end of the long-term parking lot, a snapped-off light standard and a string of crushed and crumpled vehicles surrounded by yellow police tape, one might not realize anything was amiss at the Thunder Bay International Airport.

It was business as usual for passengers arriving and departing the city by air on Thursday, less than 12 hours after disaster struck and high winds ripped a portion of the 17-year-old facility’s corrugated roof off the terminal and sent it flying dangerously across the parking lot.

Thunder Bay International Airports Authority president and CEO Scott McFadden, who spent much of the morning examining the damage first-hand, called the incident a fluke.

“I suspect the terminal building was a t the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said during a news conference held in the airport’s third-floor boardroom.

“The building is almost completely intact. We have a little bit of water damage here and there.”

No one was hurt in the incident.

According to McFadden, an 80-foot section of roof was torn loose in the storm, which saw wins hit 115 kilometres an hour, just shy of hurricane force.

McFadden, unsure of the complete extent of the damage, could not say how long the repairs would take, nor was he sure how much they might cost.

It’s not something they’re going to rush, he added.

“We’re still actually right now in the middle of doing damage and structural (assessments),” said McFadden, who landed Wednesday night just as the storm hit and was only home for about 15 minutes when he got the call about the damage.

On Thursday several of the damaged vehicles still remained parked in the long-term lot, with owners either still out of town or unable to retrieve them until insurance adjusters do an inspection.

McFadden said the damage to the vehicles will be assessed by insurance underwriters, who will then determine who pays for it.

“Vehicle owners have been advised to talk to their insurance agency,” McFadden said.
Temporary repairs will be made to the roof, and are already in progress.

McFadden said because of the once-in-a-lifetime nature of the suspected micro burst and the path it took, it’s unlikely they’ll make design changes, although he wouldn’t rule them out.

“It’s not like it’s new construction where we might have a reasonable thought it was the design,” he said.