The footage is only about about 20 seconds long, but that's all the time it takes to see Henryville Junior-Senior High School torn apart by the devastating tornado that ravaged Indiana, Kentucky and other states in the Ohio Valley region earlier this month.
Security camera footage obtained by WDRB News this week shows how little time it took for the only high school in Henryville, Indiana to be utterly destroyed in the storm.
In one horrifying shot taken from the school's gymnasium, the lights go dark for a few moments before the roof is torn off the building and debris starts pummeling the room. Footage from inside the school shows empty hallways becoming eerily still before walls blast down the corridors.
John Reed, assistant superintendent of West Clark Community Schools, told WDRB News that the footage reinforces how miraculous it is that no one suffered injuries from the storm.
"I was completely amazed that no one was hurt. That we didn't have one child, teacher, bus driver with a scratch," Reed told the station. "It was amazing that we could get through something like that."
As engineers and construction consultants continue to evaluate the total extent of the damage to the school, the West Clark Community school board has been meeting to devise long-term plans for getting students back in the classroom.
According to WTHR News, board members have arrived at a plan to open temporary classrooms in neighboring towns, though some of the locations may not be ready for students until April.
But administrators hope that come next fall, students will be able to return to Henryville schools.
"I still think it's hopeful," Henryville Junior-Senior High School Principal Troy Albert told WTHR News. "When you see the cleanup, it's a hope that we're going to be in here next fall."
Watch more video and live streams from the storm, below:
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