Repaired Tornado-Damaged Kentucky School Reopens

Students at Salyersville Elementary School are returning to classes in their building, repaired after heavy damage from a tornado outbreak.

Fifth-grader Haley Barnett told WYMT-TV that it felt good to be back at her school.

An EF3 tornado seriously damaged the building and many others in Magoffin County, Ky., last year. The 500 students of Salyersville Elementary were packed into an older building for classes.

The repairs took 17 months and cost $5 million. A dedication ribbon was cut at the school on Tuesday.

The county high school and middle school were also damaged by the storm. The high school was usable, but the middle school must be rebuilt.

Classes began countywide on Wednesday.