SEC tournament delayed as Georgia Dome sustains damage...

[NUTHOUSE]

ATLANTA -- A severe storm ripped a hole in the roof and two panels off the side of the Georgia Dome during the Southeastern Conference tournament Friday, delaying the quarterfinal round.

With Mississippi State leading Alabama 64-61 with 2:11 left in overtime, a loud blast was heard inside the dome. The girders near the dome's roof began to swing, and a gaping section of the north part of the roof was ripped open, dropping debris.

Both teams were sent to the locker room along with the coaches' wives and children, and stadium officials began to evacuate fans.

Tyler Williams, from Knoxville, Tenn., said he was sitting in section 128, six rows behind the home-team bench.

"It sounded like a freight train," Williams said. "The rafters were swaying, and the roof of the dome was starting to ripple.

"It was a little frightening to say the least."

On the exterior of the north side of the dome, panels littered the parking lot and lawns. Full-grown trees lay uprooted, and large, 30-foot traffic signs directing patrons where to park sat turned over.

Eddie Smith, a bus driver who was shuttling media member from the dome to a downtown hotel, said the bus parked in front of him in a Georgia Dome parking lot began rocking back and forth and nearly tipped over during the storm.

"It blew up the hatches on top of the bus. I thought it was going to tip over."

At the adjoining Georgia World Congress Center, where an ROTC ball hosting 11 high schools was underway before the storm hit, windows were blown out everywhere as kids walked around with cut feet.

With crews on hand to fix downed power poles across the street, security personnel began to usher people back inside around 10:20 as another storm approached.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for the Atlanta area at 9:26 p.m. EDT Radar indicated a storm capable of producing a tornado located about six miles west of Atlanta.




By Mark Schlabach

[biggdowgg]

now they say Kentucky and Georgetown cant come out because of the wether ,,,,why did they let the other tean finish their game?

only 2 minutes left and wanted to get it out of the way

[biggdowgg]

hey dogg ky was going to play georgia not georgetown.

man that was wild to say the least stuff flying off the roof and the holes on the sides didn't look so bad untill you saw people standing beside them they were massive.

thanks ,,I knew it was georg something,


I still think is was just as unsafe in there when they finished the first game, but they did not want to deal with trying to figure out how to deal with finishing it

[BubbleGumTiger]

Kentucky to play at noon today at Georgia Tech...........


SEC Moves Tournament to Georgia Tech
AP
Posted: 2008-03-15 04:30:30
ATLANTA (March 15) - The Southeastern Conference moved the rest of its men's basketball tournament to Georgia Tech after a possible tornado damaged the Georgia Dome, and one team will have to play a doubleheader Saturday.

The Georgia-Kentucky quarterfinal game, which was postponed Friday after the storm struck, will be played at noon Saturday. The winner of that game will have to return in the evening to face Mississippi State in the semifinals.

The other semifinal between No. 4 Tennessee and Arkansas will be played at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Since Alexander Memorial Coliseum is smaller than the Georgia Dome - 9,100 seats as opposed to 26,000 in the dome's basketball configuration - only players' families and those with working credentials will be allowed to attend the remaining games.

The championship will be held Sunday.

[OZZIEOHIO]

I was watching it, it was crazy glad I wasnt there.

[BigMcCauley55]

some crazy stuff there

the nba game continued but the college quit? didnt get that