[GreenKeys] Fwd: Just got a report- Birmingham, AL near totally destroyed

[Randy and Sherry Guttery]

I think someone confused Tuscaloosa and Birmingham... 
Tuscaloosa was torn up pretty bad, while Birmingham had some 
- but comparatively light damage.

Since I've received several emails, etc. from people who 
realized how close this stuff was... I'll post a general 
note here... Hope no one minds this off-topic moment...

First - Sherry and I are OK - only some light wind damage - 
nothing of consequence  - in fact the most damage is to our 
nerves.  At one point or another during the day yesterday 
(which started when thunder woke us around 4AM - and ended 
when the last tornado crossed the Alabama line around 7PM or 
so) there were confirmed touch-downs in 39 of Mississippi's 
82 counties.

Two weeks ago we had a bad batch of storms through the area 
- a lot of damage (the small town of Geiger, AL was 
basically destroyed, etc.) but few injuries, and no deaths 
(in this immediate region).  Yesterday - the same areas were 
hammered;  three dead in Kemper county; 11 (so far) in MS; 
probably 100+ in Alabama by the time they get through with 
the rescue / recovery efforts.  We also (last I heard a 
couple hours ago) have a search and rescue effort going on 
just south of us - a group of approximately 20 family and 
friends gathered in a large and very well built home to ride 
out the storms - they are still trying to find some of those 
people.  A reportedly mile-wide monster rolled through the 
northern part of Clark County (and parts of southern 
Lauderdale county just south of us here) and destroyed 
everything in it's path...  Couldn't see it from here - but 
we think we heard it...  Two tornadoes passed just north of 
us - fortunately the damage in the City of Meridian is 
light.  One of the those tornadoes just missed a close 
friend's house (we think it picked up and skipped over his 
house - it was that close).  Unfortunately - another friend 
- of the "Monday Night Gang" wasn't so lucky - still waiting 
on details - but what we think happened was that his 
grandson was in a mobile home with that mile-wide monster 
bearing down - Robert went in to get the boy out - but 
didn't get out before the whole thing was crushed. The boy 
survived (with a broken collar bone) - but Robert didn't  
(<http://www.mcatos.org to see what the "Monday Night Gang" 
is about). The guy I mentioned who's house was "skipped 
over" is our crew chief.  Just this past Monday night - 
Frank, Robert, Will, Sherry and myself pulled the swell 
engine down from the right pipe chambers at the Temple 
Theater - so Frank could find and fix a bad leak.  Less than 
24 hours later - Robert is dead.

Again - please excuse the lengthy OT post --  but this 
indeed was *very* close to home...  too close.

randy guttery

A Tender Tale - a page dedicated to those Ships and Crews
so vital to the United States Silent Service:
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