A tornado hit Denver International Airport on Tuesday. Radar shows that the tornado briefly touched the eat runways, causing thousands of people to seek shelter in bathrooms, staircases and other areas until it was safe.
According to airport spokeswoman Laura Cole, the tornado didn't cause significant damage, but some flights were affected. Arrivals were diverted to other airports during the 30 minute tornado warning. About 97mph winds were measured at the airport before communication with the instruments was disrupted, the Associated Press reports.
Chris Polk, who was working on a construction renovation project outside the main concourse of the airport, got the warning at 2:15 p.m. He then noticed a funnel cloud and ran inside with his crew and hid with about 100 people.
"It got pretty crazy around here," Polk said. Polk said he wasn't nervous as he's used to seeing funnel clouds, being from Missouri. He also noted that everyone hiding in the break room was also calm.
It's not clear how many people were at the airport when an announcement was made about the tornado. Coale says there are 145,000 people there a day.
The airport looked like a ghost town during the warning and access to a bridge to concourse A was blocked as the bridge is surrounded by glass.
Police also blocked Interstate 70 to Pena Boulevard, the road that leads to the airport.
Another tornado touched down in La Junta on Colorado's southeastern plains on Monday, The storm caused power poles to be knocked down in an industrial park. The downed poles also temporarily closed U.S. 50. A gas station canopy and a co-op storage tower were also affected. The area was also hit with heavy rains causing some flooding. No one was injured.
The town got right to work to repair the damages after the storm passed.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
