The Jackson Sun from Jackson, Tennessee • 8

IN THE AFTERMATH i'Page 8AThe Jackson Sun Wednesday, Jan. 20, 1999 "Once you hear a roar, forget about going anywhere. It's on top of you." rW6 if Gene Williams, 46, tornado survivor oBoes survive Fam fatal twisters 1 5 ti 1 1 vf '3-" A' 'V'-- A- 'Can you imagine flying -through the air and things hitting your As he flew through the air, the only thing i Gene Williams could do was curl up in a ball. 1 "Gene," he told himself, "you just better kiss yourself goodbye, because you're dead." What was a family's Sunday tradition turned into a nightmare. Gene, 41, and his wife Delois were visiting their daughter Carol in the Orchard Hill subdivision in east-r em Madison County when they heard the tornado at 6:25 p.m.

"Once you hear a roar, forget about going anywhere," Gene Williams said. "It's on top of Said Delois Williams, 46: "My daughter and I put our three grandchildren in the bathtub, and my daughter jumped in on top of them, and as I shut the door I was sucked up to the ceiling. We were flying above the telephone poles. Can you imagine flying ptft through the air and things hitting your body? f-JV You just want the pain to stop. I kept think-fj, ing that if anything else hit me, I was going to die." While "flying," Carol Jackson, 27, said she i 5 had a son in each arm and one hanging on I her legs.

Her father was unconscious when he hit the ground. A next-door neighbor found Whim. Gene Williams said he had so much blood in his eyes that he couldn't open them. Delois Williams said nothing in her life comes close to the tornado experience. "I have survived hitting an 18-wheeler head-on and a f-i' house fire, but nothing compared to what I 5 I experienced Sunday." All six people including Carol and her husband, Keith Jackson, and their three sons fl survived.

Two of the boys Christopher, jr10, and John, 7 did not have a scratch, while 12-year-old Richard had to have stitch-gtes in the back of his head. jJ Delois Williams and Richard were released, but Gene Williams and Carol Jacks' 1 son and Keith Jackson were still hospitalized $1 Tuesday. Gene, the worst of the four, has a broken cervical vertebra and the first and $1 second lumbar vertebrae in his lower back J-; were fractured. There was talk of putting him in a body cast Tuesday. "Right now I can't even stand up," Gene J-1 said.

"I know I'll heal, that's the main thing, tl It could have been a whole lot worse." Residents greet Gore at airport Kelley Fesmire, 11, saw the military helicopter carrying Vice President Al Gore flying overhead and arrived at McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport on Tuesday just in time. "He waved to us right before 'he got on the plane," said Fesmire, a sixth-grader at Northeast Middle School in Jackson. "I've never actually seen a famous person." Gore was in Jackson to view neighborhoods hit by tornadoes Sunday evening. He also announced 12 West Tennessee counties, including Madison County, have been named federal disaster areas. Fesmire wasn't the only one wanting to catch a glimpse of Gore.

Dozens of health-care workers gathered to see him pass by at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital. He came to visit victims of the storm. In the helicopter, a woman in a turquoise jogging suit waved at him from the ground as he flew over South Jackson. Fesmire and her brother, Boone, 7, both of Jackson, had the day off from school Monday. More than half of Jackson-Madison County's 105 school buses were damaged in the storm, causing transportation problems for local school officials.

The Jackson-Madison County Schools system will be closed again today. Kelley and Boone Fesmire spent the day bowling with their grandmother, Louise Rider. The trio was headed home when they made a detour to the airport. Rider said her granddaughter wanted to get closer to Gore, but onlookers were separated by a chain-link fence. "She wanted to look him in the eye," Rider said.

"She's an artist, and she's really into detail." Nicole Kraemer ROCHELLE DAVISThe Jackson Sun ABOVE: Gene and Delois Williams survived the deadly tornadoes that hit Madison County Sunday evening. Gene has the worst injuries of his family. The Williamses were visiting their daughter in the Orchard Hill subdivision Sunday. RIGHT: Workers for the Jackson-Madison County Schools remove debris from the wreckage at the bus garage. The workers plan to set up a temporary bus depot at the former location of Serra Chevrolet on South Highland.

Rochelle Davis and Kattiy D. DREW TARTERThe Jackson Sun 'Mama I knew I had to I turned him loose I would have lost him' good Lord is looking over us' I Kenneth Parks will be repair-ing yellow school buses for a long, time. tj He surveyed the damage Monday )at Jackson-Madison County system's bus garage on Harts Bridge Road. Windows were broken in about 65 buses, forcing school closings Tuesday and today in the county. The damage came as the result of two deadly tornadoes that hit Madison County on Sunday evening.

Some of the 80 buses parked behind the garage were new, said Parks, a tire-and-oil technician repairs buses for Jackson-Madison County Schools. Behind the wrecked garage, there were downed power lines, overturned trucks and dozens of fallen trees. to get into the bathtub. Gary Jordan was in bed sleeping because he had to go to work Sunday night at Ormet, an aluminum manufacturing plant in Jackson. By the time she woke Gary and they made it to the bathroom, there was a "boom" and the house was gone.

The. four were airborne and the bathtub was broken in half. When Gary landed, he began looking for Lori and Lindley. When the family was reunited, lightning strikes provided illumination so they could make their way to the carport. There, Gary and Lori got a flashlight to check out their children's injuries.

That's when they noticed Logan's head injury. Gary Jordan said his only hope of saving his son, Logan, was to hold on to him as the tornado carried them through the air Sunday. "Gary told me, 'Mama I knew I had to hold him because if I turned him loose I would have lost him. I still had my hands on him when I hit the said Martha Jordan, Gary's mother. Within 30 seconds, Gary and his wife, Lori Jordan, lost everything they owned.

But the Jor-dans are thankful they and their two children survived the tornado that devastated the Orchard Hill subdivision in east Madison County. Logan, 5, sustained the most serious injuries. After arriving Storm victim in church, 'where she wanted to be' Bus crashes through Orchard Hill home Thomas Parks said he doesn't know what he will find once he examines the buses more closely. "We could have rocks embedded in the tires, busted oil pans, who knows," he said. The damaged buses are expected to be moved from the garage so the property can be cleared of debris while the vehicles are repaired.

Restoring the fleet of buses could take several months, Parks said. But he said he is glad the tornado hit South Jackson on a Sunday night instead of during the week. "If it had been a working day and we had been there, we probably wouldn't have walked out of here," Parks said. "The good Lord is looking over us, I guess." Nicole Kraemer always there to volunteer and was one of our most involved parents." The tornado, which hit at 6:25 p.m., destroyed the majority of homes in the 90-home Orchard Hill subdi vision. Madison County Sheriff David Woolfork said "all indications showed that the bus went through the (Woodfin) residence." The bus usually was parked across the street from the home, Woolfork said.

The whose name was not available from police or school officials, lives nearby. Police were not sure how far the bus was thrown or if it hit other homes. Woodfin was found near the bodies of his mother and sister, Wool-fork said. Jerry Smith of George A. Smith and Sons Funeral Home said Billy's physical condition had improved but that the boy was having a hard time emotionally.

"I guess I would too if I was nearly blown away and was a little feller," said Smith, who was helping with funeral arrangements. Anthony John Woodfin, the kids' father, declined to be interviewed. He and Linda Woodfin are divorced. Willingham said she spent time Monday contacting the parents of her other students to tell them of Jessica's death. She said she has Woodfin hold him because if at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital on Sunday night with head injuries, he immediately was prepped for surgery.

His skull was crushed. He had a laceration on the brain lining, Martha Jordan said. Logan is expected to come home Friday, but recovery might take several months. "Logan never lost consciousness," his grandfather, Bobby Jordan, said. "He's never complained about nothing.

He's been a real trooper." Lori Jordan's first warning of the tornado, which struck at 6:25 p.m., came from the chimes on their front porch. She told Logan and daughter Lindley, 9, DREW TARTERThe Jackson Sun "We didn't realize the seriousness of this thing until we learned the Woodfins were killed," Bratcher said. "Most of our kids come from Orchard Hill, so we attempted to find everyone. We found a lot of them didn't have homes anymore, but they were OK. "Only one or two were reported injured, other than the expected cuts and bruises." "The only thing he's; (Logan) told us is that the commode, hit him in the back of the head," Bobby Jordan said.

"Logan used to always smile, but he doesn't do it anymore. I believe his smile will come back." Lindley was in better condition than her parents and brother. "She is the better of the four," Martha Jordan said. Gary and Lori received lacerations and bruises. Lindley is staying with a friend, and her parents are living in a hotel.

Doctors expect Logan to be fully recovered in six months. Rochelle Davis and Kathy D. Thomas "He's going to be missed by everyone," McCracken said. Hampton described her mother as "a loving lady, a Christian whp worked very hard all of her life." She loved going to church and going shopping, crocheting afghans and spending time with her two granddaughters. Hampton added, "of course" Snider spoiled the girls.

"Very much so, I don't know if I can handle her part or not," Hampton said as she prepared for her mother's funeral, which was Tuesday. Snider's husband, Jerry Snider, was too upset to talk, Hampton said. Others killed in the storm William Paul "Bill; Cantrell, 43, of Jackson. Lura Dorris, 81, 6f Jackson. Her son, Tony Dorris of Memphis, declined to be interviewed.

Gwyn Carter-Williams of Saulsbury in Hardeman County. Carter-Williams' husband, Gary, was injured and is in critical condition at the Regional Medical Center in Memphis. The couple's year-old boys were taken to LeBon-heur Children's Medical Center in Memphis. Jamal is in stable condition; Justin is in serious condition in the intensive care unit. Edith Evans, 75, of Lexington.

Television reports that Mc- Lemoresville resident Don Lut'er was killed are not true, said his cousin Mary Jordan. Luter was in critical condition Tuesday night. at the Regional Medical Center. His wife, Sky, is expected to be released from Jackson-Madison County General Hospital today, Jordan said. lWWI'l 1 i By KATHLEEN R.

MERRILL The Jackson Sun Ann Snider was a devout Christian who loved her church. So when she was killed at Peo ples Chapel Sunday night by one of two tornadoes that ripped through Jackson-Madison County, she was "where she wanted to be and where she needed to be," said her daughter, Angela Hampton. Snider, 46, of Beech Bluff, was one of six people killed Sunday when twin tornadoes ripped through the city and county. She was found buried under debris at the church on Grove Avenue. "She was at church, which she loved, and she didn't suffer," said Hampton, who lives in Toone.

"It was a tragic loss for my whole family. But I would say it would be the best place to be, if you're going to pass away. The pastor of another victim Terry Thomas, 43, of Jackson said it would be difficult to give the eulogy today at Thomas' funeral. "He was a very kind-hearted, very faithful individual," said Sky McCracken, pastor at East Trinity United Methodist Church, where services for Thomas are scheduled for 2 p.m. Thomas sang with the church choir, said McCracken, who knew Thomas for several years.

Thomas' wife and daughter, Teresa Newman Thomas and Jamie Thomas, were injured and taken to Jackson-Madison County General Hospital. Hospital officials said they were "improving and doing well" Tuesday night. Jessica Woodfin, 9, and her mother, Linda, were at their home in Madison County when the tornado hit. By KATHLEEN R. MERRILL The Jackson Sun A school bus was flung through the Orchard Hill subdivision home of two people who were killed in Sunday's twin tornadoes.

One of the victims, Jessica Woodfin, a fourth-grader at Whitehall Elementary in Jackson, was the storm's youngest victim. The 9-year-old and her mother, Linda Woodfin, 29, were found dead about 9:30 p.m. Sunday among debris in a wooded area 200 to 300 feet from their home at 9 Ann McKay Drive. Woodfin's son, William "Billy" 5, survived the tornado and waa in stable condition Tuesday in the pediatric intensive care unit at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital. i An emotional Joanna Willing-'ham, Jessica's fourth-grade teacher at Whitehall Elementary, at first seemed at a loss for words when asked about her pupil.

"Jessica was a joy to have as a student. She was on the principal's list both nine weeks," Will-ingham said. "Her mother was very supportive, was there to help for field trips, provide extra snacks that were needed. She was -1 Jessica Woodfin, 9, and her mother, Linda, were killed Sunday in their home in the Orchard Hill subdivision in Madison County. no idea what to tell her students when they return to school.

"We just have to feel it out," she said. "We'll know when we get there." Willingham also was one of three teachers who spent several hours Monday helping Whitehall Principal Frank Bratcher track down the school's students who live in the areas hit by the tornadoes..