Messenger-Inquirer from Owensboro, Kentucky • 26

it 4D Tho Tornado MESSENGER-INQUIRER, Wednesday. January 5, 2000 dam East Ow ens 1 Rosehill-Elmwood Cemetery one of hardest hit areas 4 i y-, I A While working around their homes Tuesday, a few residents said they felt like their neighborhood had become a tourist attraction. Helicopters roared overhead, and several curious onlookers slowly drove past One man said, "We've had 100 people coming to see, coming to talk. I'd like to give them all a shovel and have them go to work." It wasn't just residences that were clobbered. Perhaps one of the biggest cleanup jobs in east Owensboro awaits at Rosehill-Elmwood Cemetery on Old Hartford Road.

Maintenance workers could only stare in stunned disbelief at the dislodged headstones and snapped trees. "We ain't got a straight piece of anything around here today," said Tony Millay, a maintenance worker at the cemetery. All over east Owensboro, residents said they had a new appreciation for Mother Nature's might The tornado that arrived like a freight train and left like a whisper had changed so many lives. "When it got on top of my house," McFarland said Tuesday, "it just McFarland slowly shook her head, and her voice trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. She didn't have to.

The damage all over Owensboro on Tuesday spoke for itself. John Martin, (812) 649-4750 r. Kirk, was visiting from Boston. "I'm glad she was here." In all, an estimated 50 homes in Owensboro were demolished. A majority of the demolished homes were on the west side of Frederica Street, but damage in east Owensboro also was heavy and widespread.

Patrick Cecil was home in the 200 block of West 25th Street with his 15-year-old daughter. They went to the basement when the warnings came. And there they waited for a harrowing few seconds, until, eerily, it was silent Cecil's wife hadn't returned from work yet "Oh yeah. I'm not afraid to admit it," Cecil said, asked if he was scared. "You just can't believe what you're hearing.

And when it's over, you wonder what youU see when you go out the back door." What Cecil saw on his property was shattered windows, damaged gutters, roof damage and a standalone garage that had been ripped from its foundation. "It was a very frightening experience," Cecil said. "But I look at it this way: No one was injured, no one was killed. We're all safe." Cecil and others marveled at how quickly it all happened. Most By John Martin Messenger-Inquirer The tragedy of the tornado that hit Monday was one of lost property, not lost life.

For that much, all were thankful. "This can all be replaced," said Virginia McFarland, surveying the damage surrounding her home and her daughter's home, both in the 2500 block of Allen Street. "We can't" McFarland said the experience of being in her house when a tornado roared past was terrifying. Some who were home at the time said the sirens and howling winds were like something out of a horror movie. McFarland said that while huddled in a hallway of her house, "We just thought we were gone." Laverne Wallis, who was home in the 200 block of West 25th Street, said, "I thought I was going to go sailing through the air with my house." "It was a terrible noise," said Hazel Strobel, who has lived in her house in the 2500 block of St Ann Street since 1960.

"We're all lucky to be alive." Strobel was also thankful that she wasn't home alone when the storm raged. Her daughter, Dolores 5 Gary Emord-Netzley, (270) 691-7318 Large oak trees along Old Hartford Road rest over Damage from the F3 tornado was relatively light east of headstones Tuesday morning at Elmwood Cemetery. J.R. Miller Boulevard. sustained other damage.

"But really, all in all, I guess we're doing pretty good," said Young's brother, Keith Young, as they cleaned up around their house and helped neighbors. his brother went out to survey their Allen Street neighborhood, checking first on his older neighbors. They were all OK. Trees toppled down onto the Youngs' pickup, and their house estimated that it was all over in 10 to 20 seconds. Robbie Young was just getting home from work when the twister came.

"I slammed the door and hit the basement" he said. Minutes later, Young said he and .4 5" 'r 3 ''tr4 Has "-x ti it NV't V. i i T.I -ir John Dunham, Messenger-Inquirer Standing in the living room of her home at 2055 Barron Drive, Stephanie Wilson attempts to make a phone call with her cell phone Tuesday after an F3 tornado destroyed her home Monday afternoon. Barron Drive area residents begin salvage operation If Many finding little left after tornado -ft AV- Gary Emord-Netzley, Messenger-Inquirer Large oak trees snapped level with the ground surround the home of lowing an F3 tornado that swept through Owensboro on Monday after-Wes Poling, president of Kentucky Wesleyan College, Tuesday morning fol- noon. KW Minutes before the tornado struck, Wilson said he called his wife, Stephanie Wilson, from Furniture, where he is sales manager, to warn her of the funnel cloud.

Stephanie Wilson and the couple's son ran to the hall just seconds before the tornado ripped through their home. But before they could drop to their knees and cover themselves for safety, the tornado lifted the child off his feet and nearly sucked him through the opening in the roof, Bobby Wilson said. His wife held onto his feet he said. "He was screaming, 'Please Mom, don't let Bobby Wilson said. "He's shook up, and his nerves are shot" The family stayed at relatives Monday night and are looking for an apartment.

A few houses planning cleanup work By Lydia Carrico Messenger- Inquirer Bobby Wilson stood among the soggy rubble in his roofless home Tuesday morning tossing what small items he could salvage into a plastic garbage bag. Wilson said he believes the tail of the tornado that struck Owensboro at 4:10 p.m. Monday tore through the corner of his home on Barron Drive, lifting one wall off its foundation and slamming it on top of his 1997 red Chevrolet Cavalier parked in his driveway. The tornado wiped away half of the home he rented, leaving only a roofless and battered shell of the other half. A wall that divided his living room from B.

rvl 4 "I'll pray for God to help me. This morning I was mad at him. Last night I was mad at him. But it's not his fault." Bobby Wilson Barron Drive resident his kitchen was gone, scattering canned goods previously stored in cabinets. A blue an-gelfish lay lifeless on a pile of broken glass, splintered wood, brick and twisted siding.

His blue box spring lay about 125 yards away in a down, Lisa Marsh boxed up wedding albums, pictures and sentimental knickknacks Tuesday that she could salvage in case she had to leave her home. A generator and portable heater kept one room warm for her, her ft Offers of help pouring in; start of classes delayed By Michael A. Llndenberger Messenger-Inquirer As far as physical plant managers are concerned, worst-case scenarios don't get much worse than the problems Kentucky Wesleyan College's Paul M. O'Brien confronted after Monday's tornado tore through the campus. "It is worse than (our) worst nightmare," said O'Brien, who was winding up a long day assessing the damage wrought by the city's first on-the-ground tornado.

But among campus personnel, O'Brien hardly has the best perspective on the storm's ferocity. That honor goes, perhaps, to Carol Poling, wife of KWC President Wes Poling. Each was on campus when the twister danced across the campus, ripping roofs off, snapping utility poles and bringing down old trees. Carol Poling was in the 78-year-old former Massie estate house, used by the college's presidents for decades, talking on the phone when she heard the tornado warning sirens. By the time she and her 16-year-old dog Mandy made it to the basement they had two minutes to spare before the twister stripped the roof, ceiling and attic from the old home.

"What I heard was a lot of banging, objects crashing. When it was over, I came up and saw all the downed trees (from the front of the house) stacked up" on the porch covering the windows. She didn't know the roof of her home was missing until her husband had rushed over from his office. Wes Poling had sheltered in the basement of the administration building along with a two or three dozen other administrators and staff. "It was just a regular working day for us," he thought "Well this isn't too As I rounded the northwest corner of the library, I saw the roof off (President's Hall), but I had expected to maybe see things razed.

So I thought This isn't so But then my eye went beyond that to our house. I saw the shape of our house without the roof and I thought 'Oh, my I took off and ran. Carol was coming out and asking what happened. I said, There is no The president's home was only one of many buildings damaged on the campus, said Kathryn Farmer, KWC public relations director. Trees across the campus were down, a of dorm rooms were destroyed, roofs were missing in whole or in part from buildings across the campus, bleachers were twisted and scattered, and the Softball scoreboard was hanging, mangled in a tree.

"There is not a building on campus that has not had at least some damage," Farmer said. "We had so many big, beautiful trees that lined our campus. Many, many of them are no longer standing." By Tuesday morning, a number of crews were out on the campus assessing damage, finding new proof of the tornado's wrath. Utility crews searched for gas leaks and other dangers. O'Brien said a strategy meeting was scheduled for 10 a.m.

today to decide how to best manage the repairs. Colleges from across the nation, as well as local contractors, students, faculty and others have all offered to help. "It has been an overwhelming response," he said. Farmer said classes, scheduled to resume for the spring semester Monday, will be postponed. For now, she said, students are being asked to refrain from calling the campus or visiting.

Once a decision is made about how soon the new semester will begin, that announcement will be advertised in local media, she said. Students will be contacted as well, she said. Michael Lindenberger, (270) 691-7334, 1 neighbor yard. And his black plastic garbage can was perched high in a tree about the same distance away. "I'll pray for God to help me," Wilson said, eyes tearing.

"This morning I was mad at Him. Last night I was mad at Him. But it's not His fault" Wilson's home was one of several along the Barron Drive area, in southwest Owensboro, that lay within the tornado's path. Officials estimate 534 homes received minor damage, 257 received major damage and 111 were totally destroyed. Some residents in that area are staying with relatives until other arrangements are made.

At least one said she will stay in her home unless evacuation is forced. Wilson said he has no insurance and expected his loss to total from $6,000 to $7,000, which includes a computer he bought as a Christmas gift for his 11-year-old son. Wilson found it mangled in his back yard. husband, Rex, and visitors who arrived at 10 p.m. Monday to help.

Her aunt, Janice Spaulding of Washington, said she brought cleaning supplies thinking there would be a few broken windows and mud to clean. She was wrong. The tornado tore the roof away and pushed in the front wall. Gray air ducts bulged from the roof rafters. "The whole end of the gable is gone," Lisa Marsh said.

"We haven't found it yet" Christmas greenery was still twined tightly around the second-story railings, while below in the living room, insulation and wiring dangled down between ceiling joists. All around the neighborhood, insulation hung in the trees like cotton candy. Lydia Carrico, (270) 691 -7298, Steve Malccat, Messenger-Inquirer Toys and clothing from Wesleyan Daycare Center are strewn across the lawn on campus Tuesday after an F3 tornado swept across Owensboro on Monday afternoon. said Tuesday. "The students were out (for Christinas break), but we were all doing regular work.

We heard the sirens and someone said. That sounds like a tornado warning, so we went into the basement The lights flickered and then went out That's when it went by. I had wandered over to a window well in the basement and looked up and I could see the wind going sideways." As soon as the storm pissed, he went upstairs to scout the damage to the building. "I began to walk around, and I honestly.