Tornadoes Tear Through South

Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee faced a widespread outbreak of tornadoes last night. At least 31 believed to have died between Arkansas and Nashville, Tennessee. Recent reports have shown as many as 48 dead overall from the storms. Large power outages reported in Eastern Arkansas and South West Tennessee. Many Mid-South schools closed today possibly because of power outages. Announcements were made on television last night that Union University at Jackson, TN, would close for a while because of damage. According to Clay Bailey of the Commercial Appeal, Union University President David Dockery has revised the reopen date from Feb. 13 to Feb. 18th.

Memphis City Schools let out early in expectation of bad weather yesterday. Even though damaging winds and tornadoes are highly unpredictable, all the signs pointed toward a severe situation yesterday. This time the weathermen's predictions were realized and they worked through the night to keep the people up- to-date with minute-by-minute reporting. Two lines of storms passed through the area, but the first line proved to be the most devastating.

Tornado alarms started going off before 4:49 PM (per my own telephone records) in South East Memphis. Within a few minutes, 5 miles north, (where I was) tornado alarms blared on in Atoka, TN. In outlying rural areas, no alarms sounded - there are none. Some people could go to houses, churches or schools that happen to have basements, like me. Some older homes have storm cellars, but the majority of people in the area have no really safe place to go during tornadoes. Apartment buildings in Shelby County were crammed full of people as high as three or more stories up - no place to go. Many people were just getting off work - some were following the weather updates others probably were not.

A question one employee asked: "If I see a tornado do I stay in my car?" Another employee answered: "No, get out of your car and find a ditch!" Answer amended (I take nothing for granted): "Watch for rising water and flooding!"

Between South East Memphis and Atoka, the word was - (5:00PM phone record) "stay west, the storm is traveling east and if you're lucky you can stay ahead of the one that's coming up through Tunica." Reports were that the storms were traveling so fast that the weather radar was not always keeping up with them (comment from one weatherman).

East of Memphis, still in Shelby County in a third floor apartment, (5:47PM per phone records) the rain was "coming down so hard no one can possibly see to drive."

According to television news reports, several houses were damaged in Shelby and Tipton Counties in Tennessee. Part of the roof of one house blew off and was carried across a road, but the house was not occupied.

The tornado that ripped through Memphis and continued on to Jackson, TN started by collapsing a warehouse on the Mississippi / Tennessee state border in Southaven, MS. Semi trucks were picked up and thrown into the building. Amazingly, no one was seriously injured there. The tornado struck DSC Logistics on 5650 Challenge Drive in Memphis, TN where two people were reportedly killed and another person died at the hospital. Then, about a mile away, it knocked out a wall at a Sears store at Hickory Ridge Mall and damaged a Taco Bell.

This same tornado system later hit Union University in Jackson, TN. Two dorms and part of the campus was badly damaged. Last night, 13 students were reported to be trapped in the dorms - 9 girls and 4 boys. This morning all were reported to have been rescued. 51 students were admitted to the hospital,
some had serious injuries, but none were life-threatening.

Damage assessments continue today.