My brother, Mike Stone, and his wife, Debbie, live in Murphy, North Carolina, down in the southeast corner of the state nearly touching Tennessee and Georgia. They live on a beautiful piece of property in the middle of the woods. They have a two story log home and have two rental cabins nearby. Mike works in the meat department of the local grocery store and he was at work when one of the tornadoes hit Friday.
Jim-Me-Debbie Stone | 
My brother, Mike Stone |
Yesterday when I couldn’t reach him by phone I emailed him concerned because I could see where the spread of tornadoes were heading. Mike emailed me back with his account of the events and with his permission I am posting his email here for you all to read.
Watching the shots on TV and hearing the quick sound bits of people being interviewed can’t take the place of an eye witness account put into written words. It was very meaningful to me and I hope you will also be moved.
“Bobbie ....................well to answer your question.............yes we are ok, but it was a wild Friday to say the least.
Friday evening while i was closing down the meat dept, the skies turned ugly and the news came that we were under a tornado warning.......no big deal it happens 10 times a year.........we are ringed by mountains and only had one and that was 1974.
well the good lord corrected all that.............smart phones all over the store gave folks the news that a twister was on the ground and headed towards downtown..............2 minutes later the building shook like jello...........i yelled for everyone to get in the meat coolers and then all hell broke loose as people ran for their lives.............the power went out............the windows blew out.............and skylights all over the roof got sucked out taking groceries thru the roof.............in two minutes it was over and we went outside to see cars over turned, light poles lying in the parking lot.............smashed windows and shopping carts everywhere.............my jeep was tuned sideways and except for some debris dings...........ok.
the sheriff got there and announced that another tornado was on the ground in polk county near us and headed towards murphy............i called debbie and she already was packed up and headed downstairs for the basement............hurry home mike.
well i drove as fast as i could towards a wall of rain, dodging roofs and sheet metal pieces all over the road..............as i turned into our country road, lightning flashed every second, the rain turned to hail and the jeep rocked like a boat.
as i approached my valley.........a ambulance was off the side and waved that the tornado was headed towards us............the sky lit up and a half mile ahead towards my home a tornado loomed bright in the sky moving at a angle towards our home.................i jammed on the brakes, pulled over and prayed that debbie was ok.
when it turned back to rain after 2 or 3 minutes, i drove towards our gravel road only to see trees lying down blocking everything.
i was a half mile away from the end where we live..........so i backed up and took the atv trail at the cabins hoping to avoid the blocked road............drove thru the cabin yards and was stopped by a dozen trees in the road..............in my gut i knew this was very bad and just jumped out of the jeep where it sat and ran/walked to the house..........between lightning flashes the landscape looked like a war zone with trees everywhere.............i walked thru the woods best that i could............at one point i was wrapped up in what i thought were thick vines..........only to feel steel and rubber..............power lines.............i got untangled and ran for the house.............and started yelling for debbie as i saw a flashlight beam.....................she yelled back and said she was ok and just scared to death and crying.
we surveyed the house and it was untouched...........trees were on the carport and shed..........and huge 100 year old oaks were pulled out of the ground and lying everywhere with massive root balls 8 ft high...........to say were were blessed was a huge understatement.
after collapsing to sleep...........we woke up to a war zone scene outside, no power, debris everywhere............trees crushed the fence in six places...........gates were blocked and crushed...............trees crushed my neighbors rv...............
My neighbor also had a tree come thru his roof, tear the porch off his house and had his pristine property turned into a barren landscape...........
i called the power company at 3am hoping to get thru as it was busy all night.............and a half hour later we heard the howl of a dozen chainsaws.............that morning deb and i walked down to the cabins thru what was a nice country road to what like berlin after the war................the cabins were both spared..........trees had fallen against # 2 but otherwise was ok.
Saturday afternoon, my local best friend tony came over with ropes chainsaws and a few cousins and made short work of the trees.........only damage was 20 shingles that need to be replaced and tony will have his carpenter brother fix that..................to have friends help like that reminds me why we moved here...........in florida its fuck you........help yourself brother...................we were floored by all the help.
meanwhile with choppers flying overhead, fema, fire depts from 3 states, sheriff deputies..........highway patrol.............and no shit..........homeland security..........out of asheville all stopped to ask if we were ok...........talk about response.
last night i drove to town to see about the store where i worked at..............it will be closed for 2 to 3 weeks..............they told me to report to work later this week...........and they will send me to ingles supermarkets they own in blueridge ga........andrews nc.........and hayesville nc................30 mile drive............but it saves my job and budget.
i also stopped at the abc liquor store for some bottled stress reliever.............what the locals call............and "evening with uncle jack"..................waynes 80 year old feedstore was demolished, as was the sears store......brothers restaurant, save a lot, and the kfc and taco bell were heavily damaged..............when i was in town there was national guard humvees everywhere and even the red cross and news crews...........say what you will about the south..............but when the shit hits the fan here in the mountains............there’s just a boat load of help.
we have a 630 curfew and an order to stay out of town...........much to the dismay of all the fast food joints................folks were jovial and backslapping and lots of hugs all around.
debbie and i settled in for the night...........sat on our back porch and raised glasses to the sky............thankful of our blessed day, good friends and guardian angels..................the evening with uncle jack..........and a home made pizza............was the best meal of our lives.
we love y’all..............mike and debbie”
I am very happy my brother and SIL are well and unharmed and that their home came through the tornado unscathed.
Remember, you are loved.
