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| photo: AP/Matthew Hinton | |
The Books-A-Million bookstore in Monroe, La., was damaged Monday by a storm that brought strong winds and small tornadoes to the northern part of the state. The Shreveport Times reported that "high winds ripped the front facade off" the building and the "area in front of the store was full of storm debris."
Co-manager Renee Martin told the Monroe News Star she was at the front of the store when the winds picked up: "There were moms shushing their babies, telling them everything is going to be all right."
Customers Kierstin Curtis and David Hanks were also inside the bookstore when the skies darkened and the wind began swirling outside. "We joked that it was tornado weather, then the winds got really fast really quick," said Curtis. "We all started running to the back and heard stuff being ripped off the building and we heard some glass break, then an explosion and then it was all over."