Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2002 06:53:07 -0400
From: Elspeth Kovar <ekovar at radix.net>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Tornado!
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

"Keith F. Lynch" wrote:
>
> Once again, a lethal tornado in Maryland somehow managed to miss the
> Capclave hotel.  I guess we're just lucky.
>
> (It hit Charles County.  Do we know anyone who lives there?)

Yes.  My parents, who live somewhat south and west of La Plata.  I woke
up Monday morning, turned on NPR and settled in for my usual 1/2 hour or
so drowsing.  Until I realized that the 'top of the hour' news was about
tornados 20 minutes as the crow flies from the folks place.

It was a bad couple of hours; since the answering machine picked up I
knew that the house, and cats, were fine, but neither of them answered
their cell phones, and NPR mentioned that the roof was damaged at the
Episcopal Church, which Mom attends.  Messages left at both of their
offices did eventually produce results.  As it turned out Earl had left
his in his briefcase which he'd forgotten in town, that is, DC, over the
weekend and Mom had never bothered to turn hers on.  They hadn't
realized how badly the area had been hit until they were trying to drive
through it coming up for the week, and it hadn't occurred to them that
we might be worried.  The church was of a different denomination, much
closer to the center of La Plata, and the storm didn't hit the folks
place.

But I, in those couple of hours, had more than enough worry to last me
for a while.  Which is all the more true of the people who live there.
Two dead, and the commercial center of the town apparently in ruins.
Thankfully the tornado didn't hit the hospital although it's a small,
country sort of place, and a number of people wound up being sent
elsewhere.

Elspeth