Coasters destroyed/damaged by mother nature?

[USRoadTripper]

With all the talk of Katrina hitting near SFNO, it made me wonder if any coasters had ever been damaged or destroyed by nature before. I know some have been damaged/destroyed by fire, but what about hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, flooding and the like?

-Julie

[nannerdw]

I know that SFOG is flooded frequently, though I'm not sure if that has ever resulted in damage to a ride. I have seen pictures of Mindbender and GASM with water way up over their tracks.

[FuNfReaK22]

That Would be very scary if Katrina did damage the rides. Wouldn't that be like wasting millions of dollars? :?

[coasterking]

Well there probably is some type of insurance of them, but I mean yeah it stinks. But I mean there probably wont be damage to the tracks of the steel coasters at SFNO, but possibly the wooden coaster or the trains. There will be damaged buildings there definitely, but it wont be obliterated. It will probably be closed for awhile.

[Sir Clinksalot]

Psyclone at SFMM was damaged from the Northridge Quake in '94.

 

Of course, they didn't do anything to fix it and it now sucks.

[CoasterFanatic]

Hurricane Agnes totally blasted Knoebels

http://www.knoebels.com/history.htm

 

Bushkill got wasted last year (Hurricane Ivan)

http://www.ridezone.com/parks/pa/bushkill/Flood04/

 

Hersheypark also got nailed by Ivan

 

Most parks that are along any sort of flood plane have had substantial damage over the years.

[Coasterlicious]

A LONG time ago (early 40's) , a park by the local lake here was totaly destroyed by a Water Spout that came on land. The Ferris Wheel fell into the lake, and its still there.. it became the home of many fish, so it was voted not to be recovered. The small woodie that was there was blown to pieces, and the only thing at the park that was left was the bleachers of the baseball field.. ( they are still there also)

[Meteornotes]

Most of what is now known as Comet Hollow at Hersheypark was submerged in water during Agnes in '72. I can't remember what was damaged, though...

 

dt

[Dailey Enterprizes]

Kennywood here in Pittsburgh is located high above the Mon river, so it escapes most of our floods, but it's other park (Sandcastle) gets flooded almost every spring when the ice melts.

[asimowalk]

In 2004, a tree fell on Grizzly at PKD after a hurricane (I think)

[Musical Pete]

Cyclone (Southport) lost its lifthill and first drop to a "hurricane force storm" in 1960.. :shock:

*My scanner is being a blocky tit*

[Shockwave]

^^

Aha, so maybe that explains why the lift hill has got several kinks going up it!!

[derwood]

Swamp Fox at Family Amusement Park in Myrtle Beach was damaged by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Stood for a couple of years before being rebuilt. I rode it in 1988 but have not been on it since.

[coaster1]

A Port Arthur, TX coaster was totally destroyed by a hurricane in 1958 or so.

[Musical Pete]

Swamp Fox at Family Amusement Park in Myrtle Beach was damaged by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Stood for a couple of years before being rebuilt. I rode it in 1988 but have not been on it since.

Its designer John Allen once said something to the effect of "coasters hold together pretty well in a storm.. it's the landing that breaks them"

 

Even though he was responsible for revolutionising the coaster industry in some ways I don't quite like (introducing parabolic hills and making dynamic calculations more mainstream, etc.) I'd love to have met that man. I'm sure a good long down-to-earth humourous coaster chat would ensue. Grr off-topic me.

 

Storms and fires tend to be the death of many rides, moreso in the past. I wonder how Jazzland/SFNO has got on..?