ARCHIVES
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News Headlines
Wednesday, April 5, 2006
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Tornado causes injuries and
property damage |
Severe thunderstorms ripped
through the region Sunday night delivering high winds,
tornadoes, as well as hail as large as golf balls, and
leaving behind a trail of debris and misery in five West
Tennessee counties. There are 24 confirmed dead, at least 82
individuals who suffered assorted injuries, and
approximately 2,000 homes and other structures, which were
either destroyed or extensively damaged as a result of the
storm. There were 16 fatalities in Dyer County and 8 in
Gibson County, including an infant and a family of four.
Most of the deaths were along a 25-mile path stretching from
Newbern to Bradford, officials said. Also, fallen trees and
limbs blocked roads and downed power lines, resulting in the
loss of electrical power to a large number of residents in
the area.
According to TEMA spokesman Kurt Pickering, the storm
system caused the most weather-related casualties in a
single day in the states history. The worst damage took
place in Dyer and Gibson counties where the National Weather
Service reports that an F-3 tornado generated winds 158 to
206 miles per hour, and that there actually may have been
two or three tornadoes created by the super-cell storm
system. A cold front that moved in from the west and slammed
into an unstable air mass with humid conditions and
temperatures in the upper 70's and lower 80s is believed to
have caused the storm.
After reviewing the damage, Tennessee Governor Phil
Bredesen has asked President Bush to declare Dyer and Gibson
counties federal disaster areas.
Weakley County
The Weakley County E-911 Office in Dresden reports that
there were two people seriously injured, four homes
destroyed, 28 homes damaged, and at least two barns leveled
in the Pillowville Community in the vicinity of Stafford
Store Road. The tornado tore through Weakley County around
8:29 p.m. causing severe damage to homes on Stafford Store
Road, New Prospect Road, Pittman Road, Shades Bridge Road,
and Christmasville Road (Hwy. 190).
A mobile home occupied by Shirley Hawks and her
nine-year-old son, James Hawks, on Stafford Store Road was
totally destroyed by the tornado, and Mrs. Hawks and her son
were both critically injured. They were transported to
Volunteer Community Hospital in Martin by Weakley County EMS
for treatment. But, due to the seriousness of their
injuries, they had to be airlifted to Vanderbilt Hospital in
Nashville, where they are listed in stable condition.
Vehicles parked in the Hawks' front yard were also damaged
in the storm. The only thing left standing was the Hawks'
front porch. The remains of the Hawks' home was scattered
over an open field with the steel frame twisted and split in
half. The destruction of Mrs. Hawks home falls on the
heels of another tragic event - the February 14 death of her
54-year-old husband.
Weakley County Sheriff Mike Wilson stated that the
weather alerts were coming out and he and his deputies were
already out patrolling and watching for the tornado before
it hit. "Chief Deputy Mark Black had received a call that
the Hawks' home had been blown away, and the caller said
that they could hear the people screaming," Wilson said.
"And so, we went down there and that's when it all came
through. That was the first place we went to down there." He
stated they found Mrs. Hawks and her son approximately 200
yards off the road in a field. He said that they were trying
to get the victims back down to their cars and get them out
of the weather until the ambulance arrived. It was about
this time that it started hailing. "The boy had some serious
injuries and he had lost a lot of blood, as I understand,"
Wilson said. He stated that the youngster had a bad gash on
his left arm and on his head, and possibly some fractures in
his neck. "But he was a brave little boy. We wrapped him up
in a coat and blanket while we were waiting for the
ambulance to get there." According to an unconfirmed source,
Mrs. Hawks' arm was broken in three places and she had a
broken leg. And her son had a laceration on his head and
arm, a fractured vertebra, and possibly a damaged kidney. An
account has been set up at Gleason Bank for the 4th grader
and his mom, who not only lost their home, but all of their
belongings in the storm.
Sheriff Wilson stated that although there were only
about two deputies originally scheduled to work that shift,
about 75 percent of the officers came out to help out during
the emergency. "We were trying to access the damage and make
sure that there wasn't anybody else hurt," Wilson said. "We
were basically trying to go house-to-house, and try to
figure out where the path of the storm was, as best we could
in the dark. That's what we, along with every other
emergency personnel - the Rescue Squad, fire departments, I
wouldn't want to leave anybody out as far as who assisted.
We just wanted to go around and make sure everyone was safe,
and clearing what roads we could help clear. Of course, that
continued on through the night, and as of yesterday
(Monday), they were continuing to clear those roads out and
check on people's needs."
(Read the rest of the story and see storm damage
photos in this week's
print edition of the Dresden Enterprise!)
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Martin Police Dept. makes
arrests in separate cases |
Members of the Martin Police
Department made arrests this past week in separate cases
involving DUI, drug and weapons charges, as well as forgery
and theft. They are also seeking information in two separate
cases - one involving aggravated burglary, theft and
vandalism, and the other theft of an Easter decoration.
Members of the Martin Police Department arrested a
Huntingdon man Saturday, March 25 on drug and weapons
charges. According to Martin Chief of Police David Moore, at
approx. 10:02 p.m. Martin Ptl. Chris Finch arrested
50-year-old Don Donald of Huntington for DUI 2nd Offense,
Unlawful Possession of a weapon, Possession of schedule II
Crack Cocaine, and Possession of Schedule VI Marijuana. Last
Wednesday, Donald pled guilty in General Sessions Court to
each charge and was sentenced to 60 days in the Weakley
County Jail, and was ordered to pay fines and court costs.
On Tuesday, March 28, 25-year-old Lisa Boane of O'Henry
Street in Martin was arrested by Martin Police investigators
for five counts of forgery of stolen checks to several
businesses in Martin. During her arraignment in Weakley
County General Sessions Court in Dresden, Boane was ordered
held without bond and was given a Wednesday, April 5
preliminary hearing date.
(Read the rest of the story in the April 5th print edition of the
Dresden Enterprise!)
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Palmersville firefighters save
local home |
Members of the Palmersville Fire
Department responded to a house fire last Wednesday and
saved a local family's home.
According to Palmersville Fire Chief Joe David Laws,
the fire broke out at approximately 8:05 a.m. at the
residence of Cecil Edenfield, located at 160 Jay Bird Lane.
Chief Laws stated that the family had stepped out that
morning for a few minutes to eat breakfast, and the fire
erupted while they were gone. "Some people who were working
up the road from the home discovered the blaze and reported
it," Laws said. He described the residence as a single-wide
mobile home with a room attached to it.
Approximately 10 Palmersville firefighters utilizing
four pieces of firefighting equipment extinguished the
flames by 9:55 a.m. "They saved about half of it," said
Laws, who added that the building had smoke and water
damage.
The fire is thought to have originated in the back of
the home near an electrical service entrance, which was
adjacent to a hot water heater. "They had been having
trouble out of the hot water heater," Laws said.
(Read the rest of the story in the April 5th print edition of the
Dresden Enterprise!)
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