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old?...yes.
that was my son's first Thanksgiving,
and first tornado. he'll be 31 in January.
My son's first Thanksgiving, too. He'll be 31 in May.
We lived in a singlewide in Apex when it came through. We had been at my parents off from North Hills Drive because we had family in town for the holiday. It was so warm and rainy when we headed home that I opened the windows before going to bed. I woke up around 1 AM to roaring winds and pouring rain. I got up to close the windows but my (now ex) husband had closed them already. I went back to bed and had no idea how horrible it was until the next morning. The clock at Townridge had stopped at 1:12 AM, the time the tornado went through.
I was in 7th grade. A friend of mine was asleep in bed and was woken by the oft described “freight train sound”. She got scared and ran into her parents’ bedroom. Moments later the roof of her house ripped off and her bed ended up in a neighbor’s tree 4 houses down. That story has never left me.
I recall the next morning, I had an orthodontist appointment and as my mom drove me down Six Forks there we were astounded at the damage. There was a brick apartment building that had a wall torn off. You could see into the apartments like it was a doll house. I found it remarkable that vases still stood undisturbed on shelves. Pictures hung straight on walls, yet one side of a building could be completely torn off.
I was living in an apartment down from Cary Mall. I had the flu (first time, age 23), and I remember being woken up around the time it hit by the wind and rain. I recall thinking "Oh it's raining and fell right back asleep because I was so sick. My mother called me the ext morning to check o me and told me about it. If it had hit where I was, I it probably would have taken me out; no way would I have made it to the bathtub for protection.
I was living in an apartment down from Cary Mall. I had the flu (first time, age 23), and I remember being woken up around the time it hit by the wind and rain. I recall thinking "Oh it's raining and fell right back asleep because I was so sick. My mother called me the ext morning to check o me and told me about it. If it had hit where I was, I it probably would have taken me out; no way would I have made it to the bathtub for protection.
I had the flu, too! I had woken up the next morning and taken a drive down Glenwood Ave (I worked at the Red Lobster there at the time and wanted to make sure it was still there). I ended up on Ray Rd and got stuck in traffic, that's when the horrible fever, aches, exhaustion hit. I still had to drive home and take care of my son who was with me and was just months old. Ugh. I think I cried all the way home. LOL
I lived in Cary (off Trinity Road, so sort of close to Raleigh and the fairgrounds). I was 21 at the time. Fast asleep and our terrier woke me, running from room to room, howling. A few minutes later, the emergency sirens started going off.
It was really weird.
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We flew in earlier that day from the Thanksgiving holiday with family. I remember the weather was strange - warm and the sky was pea soup green.
A friend lived 2 streets over from a house where a child was killed - didn't a chimney collapse? You could see the clear path of downed trees all along Duraleigh Road.
Someone has posted a cool video from the news covering it. Nifty '80s graphics! Old-timers will recognize Charlie Gaddy (legendary longtime newscaster for WRAL), Adele Arakawa, Bob Debardelaben, and Tom Suiter introduced at the beginning. Makes me wonder how many of these people interviewed here are still in the area.
I remember helping the professor of a class I was taking at the time, who lived right near the corner of Lynn and Ray Roads, with cleanup after her second floor ended up in her front yard.
Here's another video, much longer, and clearly put together as a news special after the fact (complete with "dramatic" music). 30 minutes long and very informative.
A friend lived 2 streets over from a house where a child was killed - didn't a chimney collapse? You could see the clear path of downed trees all along Duraleigh Road.
Yes, the 8-YO girl who was killed in the neighborhood right off Lynn Road (between Ray and Creedmoor) had a chimney fall on her, so horrible. My cousin was a good friend of hers from church, apparently.
We flew in earlier that day from the Thanksgiving holiday with family. I remember the weather was strange - warm and the sky was pea soup green.
A friend lived 2 streets over from a house where a child was killed - didn't a chimney collapse? You could see the clear path of downed trees all along Duraleigh Road.
I know the family that lived pretty much across the street from them. Just down a wee bit. That was absolutely awful. And, yes... it was a chimney collapse.
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