Jun 5, 2002 2 min read

WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. (AP) – Kennywood Park reopened Tuesday, four days after a violent storm killed one woman, sent dozens to the hospital and damaged several rides. All but three rides in the suburban Pittsburgh park were up and running – the Whip, where a pavilion roof was blown off, crushing and killing a 29-year-old woman; the Paratrooper, which whirls riders into the air on canopy-covered seats connected to a spinning metal wheel; and the Kangaroo, a circular track with ramps which make cars jump into the air.

The Whip, the oldest flat ride in the park, and the Paratrooper were damaged in the storm, which included a “macroburst,” or a strong downward blast of air that can cause damaging winds on the ground. The Kangaroo was closed for unrelated repairs.

Two school picnics were held at the park on Tuesday.

“We were a little apprehensive at first. We figured there would be a lot more damage. … We saw how bad the roof had fallen,” Colleen McDonald, of Munhall, told Pittsburgh television station WPXI. “But once we got in the park it was like the same old Kennywood it has always been.”

Stephanie Wilkerson, 29, of Monroeville, was walking by the Whip and died when wreckage pinned her against a fence.

Allegheny County officials have issued a disaster declaration, saying Friday’s storm caused at least $10 million in damage to homes and businesses and initially cut power to about 91,300 people.

Two people hurt at the amusement park remained hospitalized and Duquesne Light had restored power to all of its customers Tuesday morning.

Kennywood was founded in 1898 by the Monongahela Street Railway Co., but is now privately owned. It is one of two U.S. amusement parks designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service.

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On the Net:

Kennywood Park: http://www.kennywood.com