Damage assessment at Crowne Plaza Hotel after winds damage roof

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Guests will soon have a chance to get a closer look at cars damaged in the parking lot of the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Hotel officials say guests will be able to take a look at the damage sometime around noon today.

Dump trucks and other heavy equipment were on the scene early Friday, clearing debris from the parking lot. Several cars sustained damage, and one car was blown across the parking lot into a tree.

On Thursday, fast-moving storms tore parts of the facade of the roof on the Crowne Plaza on Phillips Lane near the airport. Structurally, the roof is said to be OK thanks to an 8-inch layer of concrete that held most of the structure in place, but pieces of the facade, including shingles and other pieces of wood rained down on vehicles below.

The damage wasn't limited to the roof -- we're told about 100 to 150 rooms were damaged when the sprinkler system activated because some pipes were split in half causing it to activate.

We're told the top four floors were evacuated; guests were relocated to the Galt House.

The Crowne Plaza has been full this week because of the National Junior Angus event at the nearby Fairgrounds. One out-of-state guest says he could see the damage from there.

"Well, we could see the roof was ripped off from the Fairgrounds so we knew something bad had happened," said Jeff Brooks from Illinois. "There's just a little bit of debris piled up against it. It looks like it'll be drivable."

Insurance adjusters were already on the scene early Friday; officials from LG&E say the hotel suffered the worst damage in the city.

Rita Reedy with the Crowne Plaza Hotel says guests described the all-too-familiar sound of a tornado -- a freight train sounds -- when the storm hit.

"Yes, they heard a freight train going through," Reedy said. "They thought a freight train was coming through the hotel. And several of them saw the roof fly off. They saw the debris flying in the air. So they were quite frightened."

Luke Lemenager says his brother's SUV was damaged so badly it can't be driven.

"My pickup truck is probably going to be drivable," Lemenager said. "Although we haven't been able to get out to see for sure. The irony is: we're in a drought, and this is the first rain we've seen for 30 days and then it causes this."

The driver of the car that was blown into the tree says it was moved about 20 feet. Unfortunately, the car belongs to the driver's parents, who is in town to attend the conference.

Hotel officials say they should have all damages repaired by the middle of next week.