Comments on: We didn’t sign many books, but had fun anyway.

By: Donna

Donna — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 21:55:18 +0000

I live directly behind the Hickory Ridge Mall and we are still without power. There are chunks of the mall all over my apartment complex parking lot. Hickory Ridge Elementary School is still without power. My sons were home when it hit. I was stuck at work (Nike) also without power. Cell phone usage was limited for a while and of course my battery died when I needed it the most! The electronic gate where we park would not open of course, but finally security got it open and I was able to leave to go home to check on my boys since I could not reach them on the phone. I didn’t get into panic mode until I got home because I didn’t realize just how lucky and blessed me and my children were! My son…thank God is not a panicky type person and nothing seems to faze him so that helped a lot.

The logistics company where the three employees died is also not very far from where I live, so it seems like the tornado touched down right in front of us and right behind us.

By: Allie

Allie — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 23:10:53 +0000

Oh – and sorry to hear about the disastrous booksigning! My mom once had one during a Memphis snowstorm and I think it was basically just members of our family who showed up. Glad you had fun anyway.

By: Allie

Allie — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 23:06:49 +0000

We’re in Hickory Hill; my husband plotted the damage to the neighborhood, and it appears that the same tornado that struck the mall came within 117 yards of our house. Yikes! The funny thing is we didn’t hear anything that sounded like a big storm. There were high winds, and a little rain, and we lost power for a few minutes, but that’s it. Meanwhile a stone wall behind our house was getting knocked down for about a 100 foot stretch, and trees at the apartment complex were ripped out of the ground.

The mall’s insulation was all over our street. We saved a chunk of it to show my mom.

My husband pulled up Google Earth and put dots on the map everywhere we had seen damage in the neighborhood. It makes a perfect mathematical curve all the way from Raines road, through the mall, to where we are and past onto Riverdale.

I was a little worried about the Chao Praya restaurant and grocery next to it, which the map showed were in the direct path. I like the restaurant and I’ve known those people so long I feel like I know the owner and his family, but apparently they’re okay, although they had some damage.

By: kalisa

kalisa — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:28:29 +0000

Welcome to Tennessee!