Here in the mid-south, we don't worry about earthquakes or hurricanes, but tornadoes are a different story. In recent months, tornadoes have been wreaking havoc across the south, especially in neighboring Arkansas and Alabama. Well, on Thursday, May 8, it was our turn.
The tornado made national news, and people from all over the country were checking in on us to make sure we were okay. Fortunately, it either wasn't a very strong tornado, or it fully touched down only a couple of times, because there were no deaths or major injuries. In fact, this was the most severe devastation in town.
The destroyed building was one of a dozen that make up the Tupelo Furniture Market complex, which is sort of a convention center for the bi-annual furniture trade show that is a major economic draw for the region.
Most of the damage consisted of trees that had been uprooted or snapped in half by the powerful winds, such as these in front of Lowe's near the local mall.
In the Lowe's parking lot, several cars had their windows blown out, but fortunately the winds weren't quite strong enough to flip them over or anything.
Also fortunate was the fact that our neighborhood was completely untouched by the tornado! However, less than a mile away, residents were not so lucky.
One of the hardest hit neighborhoods was on the north side of town, where Carley's parents live, which is also where Rowan's daycare is located. In this area, trees and power lines were down everywhere! The house in the photo above is about 200 yards from Rowan's daycare. It was hit by a tree in the front yard, doing substantial damage to the roof.
Again, luck was with us, as neither Carley's parents or Rowan's daycare suffered any damage!
The day after the tornado, neighborhood streets on the west side of town were lined with branches and debris stacked by the curb, waiting for someone to come take them away.
Here's hoping for a long time until the next one!
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