RadioNate & Fozzie Bear...

[radionate]

I wondered why Kev wasn't posting. I hope he's alright. He usually posts from work, so if it is only his home electricity that has gone, maybe something happened to him. Though maybe his work place was in that area too.

Business and personal resisdences are all without power. They are estimating early next week at the latest for power to be restored to everyone.

 

[electricmayhem]

Oh my goodness! Well, I hope everyone is ok as well

 

[sarah_yzma]

the wind was rather bad! I watched it unfold on some national weather sites (and actually predicted it right, which is good and bad at the same time....) I never saw though, how fast did the winds get? I've been wondering....I know we had up to 60-75 some time earlier this spring, but that's the norm down here in tornado alley...of course, you aren't that far away. (and not too far away weather wise) I hoped they weren't too bad.

what's weird is that storms always seem to head towards cities.

 

[Beauregard]

Well, I'll be praying for you, Foz.

Did any people die in this storm? I guess some people must have done. I am sometimes very glad that I live in England were we have Afternoon Tea on the lawn spoiled by just a drop of rain!!!

Bearegard

 

[radionate]

Winds were clocked at speeds around 100 mph. I toured part of the city this morning, and will see some more this afternoon. The damage is horrific. 5 people have died so far, and the close calls are countless.

I saw trees ripped out of the ground that had root systems as big as a one car garage. 175,000 people are still without power as of right now. It's unreal. There are lines at gas stations. Many people are camping out, surviving with grilling out for food, and dry ice to keep whatever food they can cold. Folks are literally sleeping in tents in their backyards as it has been so hot that homes with air conditioning are unbearable. It will be well into next week before power is restored to everyone at the latest. I saw power lines that were just mangled (along with houses, cars, fences, tress, etc.) Stop lights were ripped off their wires. There is actually a shortage of new stoplights now. It will be at least a month before enough can come in.

I've never seen damage like this before. It's so unlike a tornado. With tornados, normally the damage pattern is a straight line. This is anything but. And its citywide.

Let's hope it gets back to normal soon. And lets keep those who lost their homes, cars, and unfortunately their loved ones in our thoughts and prayers.

 

[Beauregard]

Still no word from our own Bear?

We're counting on you Kev.

Once again I am glad that I am sat here listening to the patter of rain, and thinking, "Well, this is as bad as it gets!!!"

 

[sarah_yzma]

wow. I know how damaging just wind can be. There was a bad storm a few years ago that did more damage than a tornado less than a week before

and to see damage like that just takes your breathe away. I remember after the May 3, 1999 tornadoes, I went up to the city (on the 12, I believe, it was for my b-day) I remember being on a hill and just seeing a line of nothing. No grass, no anything. just dirt scrubbed clean.

I also went this year after the May 8 and 9 tornadoes. The path was the same. We drove by the same place, and it was dejavu. The same thing. I guess that's what really made me want to persue meteorology.

I'm praying everything will heal itself with time there. It has here, slowly and surely, but it happened.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Hiya hiya hiya!!

WOW!! I have to admit that in the midst of all the things going on in the city right now, being without utilities at both home and work, and having problems in my relationship--all of which have compounded me into a depression bad enough I spent too much money this weekend and will likely be overdrawn--coming back online at a friend's house who HAS electricity (anybody know about Frayser TN? The place where a tornado once did $3million of IMPROVEMENTS!!)--but to come back online and see the email from Nate worrying about me and linking me here where everyone is so worried about me and praying for me...WOW!

You folks don't even know me, and what's more is that we all care so much about each other!! If you ask me, this is what an online community should be like, and I'm proud to be your online friend!!

My heart isn't as heavy as it was, and it's thanks to all you good folks.

*Sniff* *BLOW!* "OH! That's my hat!!"

The storm was horrible. Tuesday morning I was sleeping and my significant other woke me by calling from their house and there was a cry on the other end of the line, "We're in a horrible storm, wake up and take cover; if I die, I love you! I'm watching my pecan tree split down the middle in the wind, and there's a terrible..."

ZOT! Static, and suddenly all the electricity goes dead in my house. The wind was blowing so hard from the front of my apartment, and was shaking the walls in the back of the apartment, the walls were all creaking and popping, and the ghostly hum of the wind was spooky. I could hear shingles being blown off my roof and small tree branches were slapping against my front door.

I jumped out of bed, grabbed up some clothes and sneakers from the floor and grabbed my matress and ran for the bathroom. Oh, and I threw Muley under the bathroom sink!!

I looked out the front window after calling my beloved on the celphone and not 40 feet from my window is the other building, which I couldn't see.

I ran back to the bathroom, told my babe (who has a keen interest in weather and was standing on the front porch like an idiot would) to get inside the house, and then I called my uncle/boss to see if he could see what was going on on his TV. He said, "It's just a storm."

Whatever!! I explained what was going on, and he heard the fear in my voice so he knew that it was bad.

Finally, I got another phone call after it died down in MidTown Memphis, "Come get me! Come get me now!!" Of course, I fled over because I had no idea if anything was wrong or not.

Trees were down on every street, utility lines were broken in half. Trees 100+ years were laid over on houses, folding them inside out practically. At Fenwick/Midland there is a house perfectly cut down the middle by a tree. At Southern and Kyle, not far from me (Southern/Highland), a 70 year old man was killed in his bed as a huge tree crashed down on him and killed him.

At approximately 6:45 am the storm began, with no notice to any of the weather-folk or even the National Weather Service. It's been described as a little super-cel storm, which broke loose the air, and it was followed by an actual super-cel storm, or a giant tornado which, unlike normal, wasn't 'rotating' winds but rather 'straightline' winds, which is why all the trees got blown over!! There was suddenly a clear path with no air or wind resistance to slow down or rotate the straightline winds.

In 1994 we had an ice storm, but they knew it was coming; in that case, the tree limbs were covered in ice and weighted down and caused them to drop. Trees fell over sometimes, but not as bad as this!! This case saw trees toppling over and blowing down that wouldn't have done so under ice.

There were cranes being used to build the FedEx Forum, for the Memphis Grizzlies' NBA team to play in, and one of them got bent like an elbow. They then evacuated World Famous Beale Street, which is "home of the Blues." (Actually, the Mississippi Delta is the REAL home of the blues, at least the birthplace of it, down around Clarksdale...but that's a lesson for a different day).

Bev Hart, of the Rock 103 Wake-Up Crew, was on air before and after the storm. Just before the storm, Tim, Bev, and Bad Dog all dropped their microphones and headsets and ran for cover; Bev led them because she said from her office window she saw a trashcan fly by--and she's on the 3rd floor!! All the employees of Rock 103 had major damage to their cars, and not a one of them had a window that wasn't broken.

There's currently more than half the city's population still without electricity, me included, and none at work, and many of those people are elderly folks. One woman that morning called in for help because her house was totally blocked off by trees and she couldn't get out; some workers in a van called in saying they needed help because electrical lines had covered their van and they couldn't go. Yipe!

There's a clear path of the destruction, houses are completely destroyed. I've seen where second stories are now gone from houses, and some houses that were so beautiful now have a complete hole all along one side.

Oh, and the Gibson Guitar Factory which houses the Rock and Soul Museum, and is home of the Ronald McDonald House Valentine's Leather Ball, now is half-gone.

Speaking of my pet charity, for whom Muley is the Official SpokesMule, the Ronald McDonald House, which keeps 51 kids being treated at St. Jude Children's Hospital for lukemia and cancer (and their families for FREE), they were without power for a few days and just got the power back on. The kids and families had to move out to stay at (ick) hotels.

Needless to say, the RMH Big Scoop Ice Cream Festival has been postponed until September 6th, because the Agricenter International has been damaged and has no power. Neither one of Muley's TV appearances happened (obviously).

I've been sleeping around...at friends' houses who have A/C I mean.

Today I did purchase another bed...full-sized...so if you still want to jet over, Luke, there's an invitation for you. Nate and anybody else, too!

Muley, in the meantime, had taken a very bad cue from a movie he once saw and tied himself to the piping under the bathroom sink after I threw him under there for safety, so I had better go try and help cut him out. But, in the dark that could be tricky! Hope I get the rope cut, and not his tail!!

Thanks for the well-wishes, gang. You all know I love you all!!
Kev
and the Mule

 

[Beauregard]

Yeah, Fozzie!!!!! I am so glad you are back, I think I'll buy you a new Rubber Chicken, ok the offer is off.

I would have been worried all weekend while I'm on holiday. Thanks for getting in and telling us foz.

Bye,
Bearegard

 

[Thijs]

Glad you're back Kevin!