Twister rips roof off school seconds after drill
Of course, the roof flew off faster than the speed of gravity. A junior high student, apparently with his finger extended, was quoted by witnesses as ordering another student to "pull it" minutes before the collapse.
In Missouri, 12-year-old Devin Wilburn said students at St. James Middle School had just completed a tornado drill. Thirty seconds later, they interrupted their science test to rush back into the hallway for the real thing. The children knelt down and put their hands over their heads, he said.
"I just heard a bunch of thunder and ripping, because the top of the roof came off," Devin said.
No teachers, children or staff members were injured.
Preliminary information indicates a tornado warning was issued about 30 minutes before the storm hit, said Gino Izzi, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Springfield.
A tornado also destroyed about half of the Manchester Packaging Co. plant, which makes polyethylene film and bags, according to its Web site. Southard said the twister ripped 70-foot-by-70-foot holes in the main building of a Wal-Mart distribution center and another Wal-Mart building used to service trucks.
Of course, the roof flew off faster than the speed of gravity. A junior high student, apparently with his finger extended, was quoted by witnesses as ordering another student to "pull it" minutes before the collapse.

