Adventure Crossing, guard base clean up after NJ tornadoes
🔴 7 tornadoes in one day Saturday tied a record set in 1989
🔴 Adventure Crossing in Jackson said it is "weeks away from reopening"
🔴 The National Guard base in Sea Girt is operating as usual despite damage
Assessment and repairs are underway at two facilities heavily damaged by at least two of the seven tornadoes that hit New Jersey on Saturday.
The 100,000-square-foot dome at the new Adventure Crossing complex off Monmouth Road in Jackson collapsed as three tornadoes with winds of at least 100 mph passed in the area. The sports and entertainment complex on its Facebook page said repairs are underway to the dome and the entire facility is “weeks away from reopening.”
Thursday afternoon Adventure Golf & Entertainment announed their entertainment building will reopen Monday including TopGolf, Axe Throwing, XR/VR Aracde, Maxflight simulator and the restaurant and bar.
The Adventure Crossing Baconfest Food Truck Festival will still happen as scheduled.
Tornado near Sea Girt National Guard Base
An EF-2 tornado with an estimated peak wind of 120 mph briefly touched down at the National Guard Training Center in Sea Girt, heavily damaging Building 66 which houses part of the Youth Challenge Academy.
Maj. Amelia Thatcher, Deputy Public Affairs Officer for the New Jersey National Guard told New Jersey 101.5 that the base is still assessing the damage but the building appears to have lost its roof and chimney in a partial collapse of the roof. Pictures show everything inside being tossed around and just dropped on the ground.
The wind also tossed two metal bleachers in an athletic field along Sea Girt Avenue on the northern boundary of the post about 70 meters. They were easily put back into place, Thatcher said.
Some good news at the base
One bit of good news: operation of the Youth Challenge Academy was not disrupted.
"They're able to continue their classes and it's not going to affect their graduation day," Thatcher said.
Academy participants were at the post on Saturday as it's a 22-week residential program but no one was in the damaged building at the time.
"That's the best story of all coming out of this. Nobody was injured, nobody was near the building," Thatcher said. "Their barracks are on the other side of the training center and they were all hunkered down at the time."
The seven tornadoes in New Jersey on Saturday tied a record set in 1989 for the most in one day.
Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com
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