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Houston tornado: Deer Park community staple, 'Skate World', severely damaged by EF3 tornado

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Published  January 25, 2023 8:41pm CST
Deer Park
FOX 26 Houston

Tornado destroys Skate World in Deer Park

FOX 26 Reporter Gabby Hart spoke with the owner of Skate World, a staple in the Deer Park community.

DEER PARK, Texas - J Malone is the owner of Skate World in Deer Park, it's been in the community since 1977 as it was passed down to him from his father.

The rink is booked for birthday parties for the next several weeks, but those parties are now canceled after Tuesday's tornado wreaked havoc throughout the entire establishment. 

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"The electrical, that's going to have to all be redone, it's all bent to hell. The ceiling is done, the roof is pulled back in a couple of spots," Malone explained. 

FOX 26 saw an air hockey machine and an arcade game buried underneath piles of rubble. 

Pasadena residents describe how they felt when a tornado hit

Pasadena residents describe how they felt when a tornado hit

"It looked like a bomb went off," Malone said. 

With the damage done to his skating rink, it could be another 9 to 12 months before it reopens. Now, Malones' biggest concern is sealing up the building to protect it from outside elements and preserving the most important thing inside the business, the skating wood. 

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"That's one of the best skating floors in Houston. Right now, it doesn't seem to be damaged, but I don't know how much water got under the wood," said Malone. 

Malone says as of right now there's really nothing anyone can do to help as they're waiting on the insurance company to come out and assess the damage.