The roof was blown off

[FreudianSlip]

My oldest daughter, Ellie, just called and asked if I'd come get her because she's scared. I said OK. Ellie NEVER calls us to come get her so I knew immediately she was either really sick or something was really wrong.

She just called back and told me nevermind. The buses are bringing them home. Okaaaay. WHY? Because the ROOF WAS BLOWN OFF! They don't *think* it was an actual tornado. They think it was a downdraft maybe. It happened while the kids were going to classes. She sounded so scared!

Thankfully no one was injured, but they are sending all the students home. Mike has gone to pick up our other two (in different schools) because the weather is so bad here.

[nightlady]

Oh wow, that's scary! I'm so glad nobody was hurt!

[WyleeWhippets]

Oh my! Glad all are okay. That would have been really scary.

Once the shock is over, she'll be able to look back and say that she got the day off, who cares about the roof!

[sarahmom22]

OMG, I'm so glad she's ok! Was anyone hurt?

[FreudianSlip]

No one was hurt thankfully, but now there are reports of a gas issue there.

She is so scared. I could tell when I was talking to her she was shaking and her voice was cracking when she was talking to me.

I'm worried because its been an hour and a half and she isn't home yet and hasn't called. Mike asked when he picked up the other two at their schools and all we could get was that the children were loaded on buses and evacuated. We are trying to get through to the BoE to find out something but all the lines are busy.

[javi]

wow. it is not a good week for roofs or ceiling apparantly. glad she is ok

[Stephie]

oh wow, I'm so sorry that happened to her! Is she home yet?

[patty]

Wow she must have been really scared I'm so glad she's safe, along with the other students.

[itzmered]

Wow everyone must have been so scared! I hope all is well and that she will soon be home.

[boomer girl]

How scary to get a call like that from your daughter, I hope you have heard from her now and know what is going on. Calls like that one just make my heart drop knowing that your daughter is afraid and your not there to help her.

I hope everything is OK with the school and the gas leak has been found and fixed.

[BrandonK]

Holy moly! We're talking about the school building right?!

[FreudianSlip]

Yes, Brandon, the school building. The first reports were that they didn't think it was a tornado, but we've talked to a couple people who were there and said it HAD to be. One woman was dropping her son off early and said just all of a sudden plywood went flying by her.

There is/was a nasty fire in the cafeteria. A couple of the cafeteria staff were taken by abulance and treated for smoke inhalation and a couple minor burns.

Ellie made it home shortly after my last post. She is shaken but otherwise OK.

[McDenny]

YIKES! Well at least there will be a few days off from school.....

[boomer girl]

I bet there will be lots of scared kids around for awhile, how scary that must of been. I dont know about tornados much but we have down drafts at times here in the mountains and they will take the big pine trees and break them like match sticks, this are huge trees. One hit a town not to far from here and almost all the houses had trees slammed into them, it looked like a war zone.

[di_dee1]

How very frightening. I am so glad she is home safely and all family is together.

[sammit]

wow... glad to here shes ok. id be wanting to come home too after something like that!! is the school now closed or does she have to go back after the issue is dealt with?

[FreudianSlip]

They were supposed to go back today, but I let her stay home. She is still a little shaken. I figured it wouldn't hurt for her to have an extra day to calm down.

The fire in the cafeteria wasn't as bad as originally thought. An 800 pound A/C unit was blown off the roof, gas lines were ruptured, the score board on the football field is down and twisted, a tree is on the bleachers. There is a quite a bit of cosmetic damage to other areas of the school.

It WAS a tornado. A student caught a video of it on his cell phone and you can see it on the school surveillance camera. You can see the rain pouring down, then all of a sudden you start seeing debris, then a black funnel goes across. It showed the kid's cell phone video on the news and you could hear the kids screaming and hear the fear and panick. It just broke my heart.

[Sun_angel00]

You are in the memphis area right? We got a call from our fedex rep saying stuff was going to be late because of really bad weather yesterday and she said that it was 'tornado' weather and the planes were ground until further notice.

We had down drafts the other night and the winds were hitting 150km an hour and to what I heard, in other towns closer to the mountians it was a wreak...

I am glad all the kids are all right though.

[FreudianSlip]

No, we are down further south in Georgia. We are expected to get more storms today.

We have a cold front moving in. It is 62F right now, but they are calling for SNOW showers over night.

[Bobbalou22]

Wow. I am so glad your kids are okay.

[eliza]

OMG... That is MADNESS! I'm glad that your daughter is OK.

[sunbirdx]

Nevermind....I didn't read carefully!

[notredamebird]

Yikes ! ... How can they not know whether it was a tornado?

I mean, aren't they loud? Like a train coming?

(Can you tell I haven't ever been near one?)