WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. -- Kennywood Park reopened Tuesday, but some rides remained closed. The park had been closed since Friday's deadly storm. Approximately 25 of the 80 fallen trees have been removed.
Tickets dated May 31, June 1, June 2, or June 3 may be used any day in 2002 or 2003 without an additional charge, according to
Kennywood.com.
Gov. Mark Schweiker canceled a tour of the damaged areas Tuesday. On Monday, workers continued to assess and repair damage from a storm that packed 105-mph winds that damaged rides, sent at least 47 people to the hospital, and killed a woman.
Click here to donate to the Salvation Army Disaster Relief Fund and
click here to learn how to report damages that are not covered by your insurance. On Monday, the WTAE-based phone bank garnered $36,880 over two days.
Meanwhile, Allegheny County issued a disaster declaration, saying the Friday storm --
which meteorologists called a macroburst -- caused at least $10 million in damage to homes and businesses, and cut power to about 90,000 people. All told, about 100 trees that had fallen were cleared from the park. Officials estimated that 300 properties in 15 municipalities were damaged by the storm.
The declaration will "begin the process where citizens can draw on state resources to assist them with losses and the cost of cleanup," said County Manager Bob Webb. "We're hopeful that, at the very least, we'd be able to get low-interest loans for properties with uninsured losses."
Stephanie Wilkerson, 29, of Monroeville, was killed when wind-blown wreckage from The Whip pinned her against a fence.
Other damaged rides are the Log Jammer, Raging Rapids, Old Mill and Paratrooper. The Fastball was destroyed.
WTAE's Shiba Russell reported that only the Whip and Paratrooper remained closed for now. The Kangaroo will also be closed, according to Kennywood.com.
School picnics and other spring/summer events will go on, but some may be rescheduled.
The Whip opened in 1918 and was the oldest flat ride in the park. The pavilion roof that collapsed in Friday's storms was built in 1995, when the ride was moved to a new location in the park.
Sky 4 showed the Whip's damage on Saturday (above at right).
On Monday, the Sky 4 view showed the Whip after the pavilion had been removed (below at right).
Kennywood vice president and general manager Peter McAneny said employees likely did all they could to monitor the storm and warn patrons. The park monitors weather on the Internet and broadcasts alerts over walkie-talkies used by security employees, he said.
Once lightning was spotted, employees stopped rides that are threatened by storms or require evacuation when power fails.
Kennywood does not broadcast storm warnings over its public address system.
"It's much more effective to go out over a radio to our personnel -- police, and anybody who carries a radio -- than to use the P.A.," said park spokeswoman Mary Lou Rosemeyer. "Babies are crying, people are screaming on rides and laughing, and you just don't hear it."
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