News About Columbia

News from a friend of mine:

Just a brief 'word up' on the sitch here. A lot of you know that I
live here in Pineland TX, right in the middle of the Piney Woods,
where most of the debris from Columbia is being found. I thought you
might want to know some of the things they haven't really made clear
on CNN.

Geography note: I live in Pineland, right off of HWY 96N, one grocery
store, and Temple lumber mill, population 996. 10 Miles to the east
is Hemphill, which is maybe a little bigger than Pineland. They have
a larger grocery store, and two banks, and we beat them regularly at
football. 7 miles north is Bronson, no grocery store, no gas station,
population about 300. We are 40 minutes from Nacogdoches, the oldest
town in Texas, and a very pretty little town with old cobblestone
streets and lots of history, oh, and Angelina College. There are no
plains here, or much open ground of any kind, but rather, deep deep
deep woods and lakes and rivers. Lots of little twisty country roads,
some unpaved, and it's easy to get lost if you're not careful.

I woke up yesterday to the sound...weird, loud, rattling the walls,
sounded like the wrath of God. Doug and I thought the gas station had
blown up, or maybe the lumber mill. It lasted about 2 minutes, then
got deathly quiet. 20 minutes later, my mom called and said to turn
on CNN. We did.

We were having a garage sale yesterday, and 2 basketball games in
Brookeland, 10 miles south and a little smaller than Pineland. (My
daughter China plays in the Little Dribblers). So while Doug handled
the garage sale, I went to the games. Folks coming to the garage sale
told Doug about debris falling on folks as they were driving, and
chunks landing in folks yards. One guy said they found an arm in
Bronson just off county road 224, and another that they found a leg
at one of Old man Crowe's places between Bronson and Pineland. At the
games, someone had a piece the size of a
football in her yard, and was almost late to the game because of all
the hubbub with the authorities roping off the road there and their
driveway. Later we heard they found part of a chest, and some other
body parts.

Today Doug rode his Harley out towards Indian Mounds, and over by the
lake. He said that a lot of it was roped off, that there were 1000's
of folks out combing the woods for body parts and debris. He talked
to one of the cops who was redirecting traffic and was told that they
have found over 500 pieces of debris, and dozens of body parts. They
have had choppers in the sky all day over our house and the woods
behind looking for stuff, and follow where the buzzards are circling
to find body parts. They have brought out convicts, HazMat teams,
fire depts, and my mom's church is part of the Baptist Disaster
Relief Team, and they are helping as well.

A big chunk fell in a dentist office in Nacogdoches, no one was hurt.
So far, 27 people in Nacogdoches alone were treated for injuries by
debris and another 10 or so from Hemphill/Pineland/Bronson area.
There is debris by my daughter's school, roped off, and some folks
were there taking pictures.

We are all kinda numb about it actually. At the game, folks are
usually very chatty and social, the kids are hyped up and ready to
play...but yesterday everyone was subdued, the kids' games were
totally off, no one's heart was in it. We talked about what we had
seen, what was in so and so's yard, but in kinda a shell shocked tone
of voice...it was just too much. We are all shaken, and I guess a bit
confused...

We are alright though. Thankfully none of our friends or family was
hurt, a little property damage here and there, but we got off easy if
you ask me. It could have easily fallen on the lumber mill and killed
lots of workers, or on a gas station, or feed mill (highly
explosive). Apparently a lot of stuff fell in the lakes, I don't know
how they will get it.