Austin American-Statesman from Austin, Texas • 20

TWISTERS' TRAIL OF HEARTACHE A20 Thursday, May 29, 1997 Austin American-Statesman Albertson's A destroyed location i i --ty 1 mile m.4 Family picks a spot, joins cleanup effort About 20 Albertson's employees and customers escaped serious injury or worse by seeking shelter in the cooler just before the tornado tore through the store's parking lot. The direction of the twister was from the left front of the store to the right rear. Thomas Huckstein, 51, was traPPed for more t5s-j7 than an hour under Number of employees: 100 Opened: Jan. 31, Collapsed area of roof Square feet: 55,014 One of 14 in Central Texas TV t0mad '1't entrance NationsBank ROUND ROCK Tracy Jones, who lives in Round Rock, decided when she watched the newscasts Tues day night that she wanted to help the area's storm victims. So she just did it she put her husband, her 7-year-old daugh ter and her father in the car Wednesday morning and drove out to the Buttercup Creek neighborhood.

The family picked a random house on Sycamore Street and started helping to clear debris and sweeping up driveways and sidewalks. "I would want to be helped," said Jones, 29, who brought work gloves with her. "It's a big job out here. Her husband, Darrell Jones, agreed. "This just kind of hits close to home for me," he said.

Tragedy takes a toll on those who help JARRELL Perhaps they did not lose any friends or loved ones, but for many of the hundreds of volunteers and emergency workers who have come here, Tuesday's tornado has taken a toll as well. "There's no way to explain it," said Vicki Finlay, a member of the Texas National Guard who was one of the first three rescuers to arrive in Jar- rell after it was hit by a tornado. From 3:30 to 11 p.m. Tuesday, Finlay and the other two rescue workers searched for survivors in the rain. After a crisis, emergency workers often experience sleep lessness, flashbacks, feelings of edgmess, depression and in trusive thoughts, said Cheryl Watson, director of Lockhart Emergency Medical Services and a member of the Critical Incident Distress Debriefing, a program that works with indi viduals who are involved in rescue efforts after a crisis.

Coping mechanisms vary but the program encourages res cuers to discuss the experience together. "You see something that the rest of the members of the public don't see," Watson said. Mary McCabe, a supervisor for the Austin Police Department's victim services unit, said she is concerned that people in the community many of whom have helped in the search efforts and volunteered other services have not had a chance to express their own grief. For many, Tuesday and Wednesday were too hectic for grief. "This is only the beginning of the healing process for this community," McCabe said.

Paleface, Round Rock to have power today -Bennie Fuelberg, general manager of the Pedernales Electric Cooperative, said the 320 customers still without power Wednesday in the Paleface area, where 30 poles had to be rebuilt after being hit by twisters, are expected to have their power back by this morning. Officials with Texas Utilities said their 1,337 customers still without electricity Wednesday primarily in Round Rock were also supposed to have their power restored by this morning. Hill Country Flyer on track this weekend The Hill Country Flyer will continue its regular runs this weekend from Cedar Park to Burnet. Tuesday's storms overturned a caboose and the train's tender car, crushed a truck and damaged several buildings in its Cedar Park railyard. The tender is a car attached to the rear of a steam locomotive that carries coal and water.

While it is repaired, the train will be pulled by a diesel engine provided by the Longhorn Railway. Staff writers Diana Dworin, Christine Shirley and Debbie Hiott contributed to this report 1996 Service meat and fish counter Vasin Omer D7AA-S on 'People say I'm a hero, but I'm not. It was all of us working together, and that's why we are alive. Larry Fore, manager of Cedar Park Albertson's Team 186 firefighters, doctors, structural engineers and other pro- fessionals who provide disaster re- lief on short notice. Twelve of the Austin Fire Department's 23; search and rescue members took part in Wednesday's search, said David Belknap, an Austin fire cialist.

"I think it went very welL" Belk- nap said. "They responded very quickly." As part of the Texas University System, the extension ser-; vice keeps 24 tons of rescue equip-' ment in College Station. The items can be moved by National Guard plane or by ground vehicle, as was done for Cedar Park, Bennett said. Team members receive training in search techniques and in using the extension service's special equipment, which for Cedar Park included two diamond-tipped saws capable of cutting through steel and concrete. Future training will include bio- chemical contamination.

Bennett wants the team to be capable of responding to any natural disaster or terrorist act. "You have to be ready for any-, thing," he said. Staff writer Jerry Mahoney contributed to this report earch continues at Pharmacy Beer cooler Linda Scott, Kevin Virobik-AdamsFor AA-S made its debut at the store Wednes- equipment in the search. else was in the building, rescuers suspended the search by mid-morning. By noon, Albertson's executives were surveying the damage, and the state health department had declared all the food and pharmaceuticals in the building contaminated.

"Because of the high-pressure disturbance caused by tornadoes, even sealed jars can have dirt and debris in them," said Michael Campbell, state health department inspector. Wednesday's search was aided by the microphones, cameras and other special equipment brought in by the Texas Engineering Extension Service, which responds to emergencies across the state. Moved by emergency crews' difficulties after the Oklahoma City bombing, the service last year created the Urban Search and Rescue Alberts One man found seriously injured, but officials think no one's left trapped By Tara Trower and Chuck Lndell American-Statesman Staff CEDAR PARK Albertson's employees could see the tornado spinning in the distance Tuesday long before it hit their store. As the twister approached, store manag er Larry Fore instructed employees and shoppers to head to refrigerated coolers in the rear of the store. "I don't know what told us that it was time," he said.

"But shortly after that, the roof caved in." Rescue officials said Fore's ac tions may have saved many lives. By moving to the back of the store, most people were out of the aisles when the tornado caused the roof to give way "Without his cool, quick think ing, we probably would have been attending funerals tomorrow and the next day," said Department of Public Safety trooper Tom Mobley Mobley said one man was seri ously injured, but that by Wednes day afternoon officials did not think anyone was trapped inside the store, at U.S. 183 and FM 1431. Employee Thomas Huckstein, 51, was caught under metal ceiling joists just outside the coolers where others waited out the storm. He was freed just more than an hour later and flown by helicopter to Brackenridge Hospital, where he was listed in serious condition Wednesday Officials and survivors agree that the outcome could have been much worse had it not been for Fore.

"People say I'm a hero, but I'm not," Fore said. "It was all of us working together, and that's why we are alive." Mobley said rescuers would not know for sure until today whether anyone remained trapped inside the store. Cedar Park officials noted late Wednesday that there was still Heavy equipment pulls debris Wednesday from the and Rescue Team wrecked Albertson's in Cedar Park. The Urban Search day, using special crophones to detect sounds of survivors and snaked in small video cameras mounted on a fiber-optic cable, said Kem Bennett, head of the search and rescue team. Throughout the operation, observers kept a close watch on the store's buckled outer walls, which were leaning in over the heads of rescue workers.

To detect any movement, bright marks were painted on the two-story-tall walls, and bright lights were trained on the marks. "If those marks move, it's Katy bar the door. Everyone's out," Bennett said. Shortly before sunrise Wednesday searchers sent in the "tunnel rats," Bennett said. "They're the little guys who can get down and crawl around in those small spaces." With no evidence that anyone an area the size of medium-sized house buried under tons of rubble inside the store.

Heavy equipment was brought in Wednesday afternoon to allow workers to look under piles of debris. Moreover, the owners of two cars in the store's parking lot have yet to be located, Cedar Park City Manager Don Birkner said. Officials planned to search the remaining 2,000 square feet of store area once a wall, which was leaning into the store near that area, was stabilized. With most of the people in the building able to walk away, rescue efforts were somewhat easier. The Cedar Park mission was the first test of Texas' new Urban Search and Rescue Team, created in the aftermath of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

Workers used extra-sensitive mi-. i.