Randy, the devastation is beyond comprehension. My heart just aches for everybody. Prayers going up every day.
hugs, Linda in Eagle, ID ----- Original Message ----- From: randy rankin<mailto:rj_ran...@yahoo.com> To: tmic-list@eskimo.com<mailto:tmic-list@eskimo.com> Sent: Tuesday, May 03, 2011 9:28 AM Subject: [TMIC] tornado con't I just found out that Cathy had a stroke as result of her injuries. We really desire prayer. The family, especially the immediate family, is really going through it. The second concern is for Dale and Brenda Smith. Like most on this list, Dale has a neurological condition but I don't know what the diagnose turned out to be. He was once a skinny, athletic, healthy young man with a wife and two kids. He had a neurological reaction to medication and lost the use of everything below the waist, his speech, and most likely suffered brain damage. Dale's home was also wiped clean. He was bed ridden and could not move. The tornado blew him and his mother, a home health care nurse, across the yard, across the road and into a ditch. It then dropped large tree on top of their bodies. It was dark, no one could see. People stood up from the rubble that used to be homes and started trying to get their barrings. Two people from two different directions heard Dale's deep moaning and Brenda's unconscious screaming. I will not detail the damage that suffer because many would probably be offended that I shared. Their bodies were seriously injured in ways that you can't imagine. Dale lost a leg. Both had to have multiple surgeries to their face, head, eyes, and other places. Neither are doing well. Brenda is still unconsciously. There are many in our home area that did not survive this event. Tuscaloosa is getting national attention AS IT SHOULD. However, there were SOOOO many small communities that were impacted - one after another after another. One can simply drive 5 miles down the road to the next small community and see the same disaster. Some places were hit by 1/2 mile size F3 to F4. Others got the blunt of an F5 size as the twister changed sizes. One friend video'd the thing and promised to send it to me. There is clearly a large wedge shape tornado in the blue sky. On the right is a large twister. To the left is a smaller twister. To one's dismay, the blackness of large wedge and large twister began to come closer until they are one big black mass. Then the same happens on the left side until it is one unbelievable large mass. Then the entire screen is black and all one can see in the video is occasionally lightening inside the monster.
