(Newswire.net — July 16, 2016) —During a graduation ceremony at the Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, for the Presidential Leadership Scholars on Thursday night, severe winds began breaking windows and tornado warning sirens started sounding
Disrupting the speeches held by former presidents, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the host of the event informed everyone present that they are experiencing a serious storm and need to clear the auditorium. ”Good luck… and god speed,” he said.
It wasn’t known where Bush, Clinton and Blair were taken as sirens started sounding, but was later revealed that security guards evacuated the trio of former world leaders into the school basement. All others attendees were moved to the lower level of the high school.
The powerful thunderstorm broke trees and damaged power lines throughout Little Rock, the capital of Arkansas. Powerful winds swept through Arkansas and Oklahoma, toppling a semi-truck on the highway and leaving almost 200,000 customers without power. There have been no reported deaths or injuries.
When the storm passed, the three former leaders left the basement, and together with the presidential scholars, went to the Clinton Presidential Center at Little Rock, for dinner.
”Your weather is interesting,” said the former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, eliciting big laughs during a lecture at Clinton’s presidential library, the Daily Mail reports.
The former Prime Minister added that he was asked on Thursday, after coming out of hiding, if he’d ever experienced a tornado in England.
‘We have the odd gust of wind, but that was quite something last night,” Tony Blair answered and added that it was a memorable start to his first visit to Little Rock.