The Daily News-Journal from Murfreesboro, Tennessee • 4

A4 Saturday, April 11 2009 1 THE DAILY NEWS JOURNAL www.dnj.com SPECIAL REPORT: The Good Friday Tornadoes HowTOHEip PENNY LANECOMPTON ROAD AREA bract fti) SWIM) vv mk mm'- DNJ PHOTO BY JOHN A. GILLIS Terry Long talks to relatives on the phone in front of her home on Penny Lane after a tornado destroyed it Friday. She used a mattress to cover her family just before the storm ripped off the roof. Residents recount escaping destruction llJlZ IJr, r-r 1 Call 2-1-1 for help today, Sunday The 2-1-1 First Call for Help will be expanding its hours and taking calls from 7 am to 4 p.m. Today and Sunday to help people deal with tornado-related problems, said Rachel Holder, president of United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties.

Storm victims can talk directly to a referral specialist who will tell them where to get shelter, financial assistance and other emergency-related services. People who want to volunteer for cleanup or to provide other help in the wake of the storm can also call 2-1-1 to find out how to get involved, according to Holder. Anyone who would like to donate directly to tornado victims can do that on the United Way Web site, uwrutherford.org, Holder said. 2-1-1 is a United Way-funded agency. Rutherford Y's offering showers The Rutherford County Family YMCA and North Rutherford YM-CA will provide shower facilities for any tornado victims today.

While those Ys are not stocked with bath towels in their facilities, they do have plenty of smaller exercise towels available and are going to work to bring in extra towels for tomorrow. The Rutherford County Family YMCA is located at 205 North Thompson Lane and will be open from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The North Rutherford YMCA is located at 2001 Motlow College Blvd. and will be open from 7 a.m.

to 7 p.m. SportsCom showers open for victims Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation will open SportsCom at 7 a.m todo for people to shower and clean up, Director Lanny Goodwin said. Turning cable back on could take some time Portions of Murfreesboro affected by the tornado will be without cable service until power is restored, a Comcast representative said. Electric crews will first have to repair their lines before any additional service providers can do their part, the representative said. Local cellular service stores reported minor interference with their systems immediately after the tornado.

Verizon Wireless and Sprint reported no major issues of outages in the area, Lowe's open 24 hours to assist storm victims Lowe's of Murfreesboro at Old Fort Parkway and Bridge Avenue will be open 24 hours to assist storm victims, a spokeswoman confirmed. Church clearing brush, collecting items Smyrna's LifePoint Church is mobilizing this weekend to help residents affected by Friday's tornadoes. Here's how to help: LifePoint's Disaster Relief Team will clear away trees and brush in neighborhoods damaged by the storms. The team will be pulling out at 7:30 a.m. today from the LifePoint parking lot, 506 Legacy Drive.

Be sure to bring work gloves, boots, safety glasses, etc. Please arrive between 7 and 7:15 a.m. in the church parking lot. Donate water and food. Workers and victims will need clean water and food over the next several days as the effort continues.

Drop off bottled water and prepackaged foods, such as crackers and gra-nola bars at LifePoint Church today from 6:45 to 7:15 a.m. For more details, visit life pointchurch.org. DNJ.COM VIDEOS Devastation on Haynes Drive -Eyewitness accounts of the tornadoes Mayor Bragg press conference -Storm coverage, submitted Storm Damage near Wilkinson and Thompson Lane Tornado along Medical Center Parkway Damage along WilkinsonMed. Cntr Pkwy -Tornado in Walter Hill area -Touch down on Wilkinson PikeThompson Lane Press Conference at MPD Video from tornado at Alexander Clrjevy DRVIDSpNCOShTU jlTHERrDRD CQ rt 5 V. DNJ PHOTO BY AARON THOMPSON couldn't see Martin's house.

He was amazed that it wasn't severely damaged and said Martin must have had angels dispatched around his house. "He said he didn't believe in God before, but he does now," Martin said. GregMabry, 61S-278-S180 They said they had been watching the tornado and said it didn't look like it was moving our way. As we watched the tornado pass in the distance, we talked about their experience with the first tornado. The rain let up, and as I headed out to continue my reporting, I thanked them again for giving me shelter from the storm.

MTSU student Greg Mabry is an intern at The DNJ, 7: "A 7 'A DNJ PHOTO BY JOHN A. GILLIS Above, officer Kevin Dunn of the Murfreesboro Police Special Operations Unit carries Ethan Brewington, 10, out of the damaged area on Penny Lane in Murfreesboro to his mother after the tornado Friday. Ethan was at a friend's house when the tornado struck. Below, Rutherford County Sheriff's Deputy Randy Morrow puts a blanket on Jeff Carman, whose Penny Lane house was destroyed by the tornado Friday. BYGREGMABRY GMABRYDNJjCOM As a tornado bore down on his Compton Road home Friday, Shane Sheppard wondered, "Is this the end of my life?" Dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed by the tornado on Penny Lane and the surrounding neighborhood off Compton Road in north Murfreesboro as the twister left a path of destruction from Blackman to the Milton community Sheppard and Elsmeralda O'Brien said they were huddled in the bathtub when the tornado passed through their neighborhood.

The twister made "the eeriest sound," Sheppard said. Later in the day, several resident on Penny Lane were trying to salvage what they could from their damaged homes. Terry Long and her family were sifting through the debris of their home. Long said the family was watching a DVD in the living room when they noticed high winds and a pressure change so strong it ripped off the attic door and sucked it into the attic. Shards of glass and wood flew in through the windows and the family darted for a bedroom closet.

As Long attempted to pull a mattress over her daughter and partner, she said she fell back with the mattress, covering the group, and watched as the roof of the house was ripped off "It was automatic you know the human brain is an amazing thing I just knew what to do and I automatically went and did it" "We're a little shaken, but doing OK," Long said. The family will spend the night in a local hotel but they're unsure of any other plans. Mickey Childers, another resident of Penny Lane, said her neighbor had an especially dramatic experience in the storm. Childers said the family was taking cover in a storm shelter under their home, when they heard the building move. Afraid of being crushed, she said, the family covered themselves in a blanket, left the shelter in the middle of the tornado and ran into her house.

"I feel fortunate," Childers said, explaining that her house sustained only minor damage. Childers also said she had heard a report of looting. At a press conference, Rutherford County Sheriff's Detective SgL Dan Goodwin said officers will set up a perimeter around affected areas and that looting will not be tolerated. Penny Lane resident Tonya Coode said she sought shelter in her bathroom when she heard what sounded like a freight train. She felt a heavy vibration as her home was literally pushed back from its brick foundation.

She said no one in her family was injured in the storm. Ronnie Daniels, who lives on Esquire Court near Penny Lane, said his home suffered only minor damage, but the tornado ruined his car shelter, a tree landed on one his vehicles and the tornado destroyed a pontoon boat Daniels said he looked out the window during the storm and saw a thick, dark cloud of debris flying through the air. AT THE SCENE at this point I wondered what, was going oa I saw several people pointing to the sky and as I looked up, I saw a thick, dark funnel cloud in the distance. The rain was coming down in sheets, and I couldn't tell what direction the twister was heading or how far away it was. My heart was pounding like a drum and I decided I needed to "At first I thought it was a bunch of birds," he said.

"But then I realized it was debris from houses." Raymond Martin, who lives on Meadow Hill near Penny Lane, said his neighbor saw the funnel cloud next to his house. The neighbor looked out and DNJ reporter almost becomes part of story seek shelter and assess the situation I walked up to the Compton Road home of Shane Sheppard and Elsmeralda O'Brien, who were on their porch watching the storm. I told them I was a reporter from the Daily News Journal, and asked if I could come inside while the storm passed. They were very kind and let me stand dripping wet in their living room '4 BYGREGMABRY CMAISKYbNJjLOM I went to Penny Lane off Compton Road shortly after Friday's devastating tornado passed through the neighborhood After a brief look around, I spoke to a resident whose home had been heavily damaged. As we spoke, the rain bepn to pour and chunks of hail began to fall.

I looked around and noticed residents of the street were once again seeking shelter. Sf jme people were running frantically, and.