Caruthersville

Caruthersville
Tuesday, April 4, 2006

The strangest thing happened though. I didn’t head to south to Memphis as planned; instead I headed north to Caruthersville, Missouri. I wasn’t sure what to expect, since I had never been in the aftermaths of a tornado before, but I headed that way anyway. I was thinking, “Okay, you are going there, but what are you going to do when you get there?” I didn’t have any idea what I was going to do but headed that way anyway. Thirty miles later I exited Interstate 55 east to the small rural town of Caruthersville. The sign at the top of the exit said, “Carutherville-3.”

Caruthersville is a town of 6,700 and is located in Pemiscot County about 90 miles north of Memphis, Tennessee. As I made the three mile drive toward town I began to see the devastation. It was unbelievable. It was like a bad dream that I wanted to wake up from, but couldn’t. Trees, power lines and parts of houses were spewed everywhere on both sides of the main highway into town. Last night the news media said the tornado had winds upwards of 200 mph. They said it crossed the Mississippi River and headed east through Braggadocio, Missouri into Caruthersville. On its way to Caruthersville, the tornado cut a thirty-mile wide trail across four counties in western Tennessee.

Despite the extensive devastation I was now looking at, it was hard to believe that only one critical injury was reported. The local newspaper reported that “more than sixty-percent of the land area and seventy-five percent of the people in Caruthersville” were impacted. But other towns like Bagota, Bradford Dyer, Millsfield, and Newbern, residents weren’t so lucky. Emergency Management Authorities say that at least 23 were killed and more than 80 were injured.

Residents were busy cutting trees, raking debris and putting tarps on the roofs of the few houses that were still standing. You could easily see the path the tornado took; the incredible power it struck with, and the devastation left in its wake. The national guards had all the access points to town blocked and were checking identifications. Only workers and other essential service providers were allowed to enter the town. I didn’t try to get into the town. I could only imagine what the town looked liked since the outskirts looked like a war zone.

I drove around the outskirts of town for a while and finally got up enough nerve to get out of the Tahoe and walk around. I stopped on a gravel road about two or three miles east of town where three houses use to sit. I could hear the sound of chain saws and smell the mixture of gasoline and oil that powered them. I debated over whether to take my camera with me. I didn’t want to be intrusive or insensitive, so I kept it around my neck and on my back. I still wasn’t sure what to do, so I just started walking toward the piles of debris.

A man came out of a camper that he and his wife were now living in. He lived in the first house with his wife and child. It didn’t take him long notice my awkwardness. He came up and just started talking to me. He had been watching the news and said he saw the tornado coming. He said it looked like a massive dark cloud coming at him. His wife and child had already taken cover in a closet. He said when he saw the funnel cloud; he went to the closet, told his wife that he loved her, said a prayer and held on to them for dear life. He said the tornado didn’t sound like a train; but more like a roar. His house was still on its foundation but heavily damaged and unlivable. A tree had fallen on his garage that caved it in on top his vehicles. It was such a mess that I couldn’t tell how many cars was in the garage. He was very thankful that he and his family are still alive. By now residents of the house next door are out on the gravel road talking to me.