Gallatin Tornado Ground Zero

The following images are helicopter photos of the three-mile path of destruction left by Friday's tornado. The building at the top left is Sumner Academy, where my wife Lydia was teaching at the time. In the foreground you can also see some houses that are severely damaged.

In this next shot, the camera has moved slightly up and to the right. You can now see the entire three-building campus which was once noted for its large beautiful trees. You can also see that the two houses adjacent to the school's driveway have been completely obliterated.

About half of the teachers' cars were totalled. A section of roof was blown off the computer lab (Elementary building far left). The far corner of the gym collapsed, and you can see sections of the front side which are missing. Several doors and windows were busted in all three buildings, including a window in Lydia's room which was smashed by a flying board. Fortunately, all the children and teachers were safely huddled in the restrooms.

Meanwhile, I was across town at our house, sitting in the floor of the coat closet with my cat Pedro and two pillows -- praying for Lydia, the kids at school, myself, and my house.

One of the elders at my church was in the same position, but when he emerged from his closet, the house around him had been destroyed.

I was proud of our church for offerings its facilities to be a Red Cross shelter and staging area. But I wasn't at the building today because Lydia and I went to Sumner Academy to help clean up there. It ended up well because we were able to communicate with the church building and make arrangements for some food delivery to the area.

There were glass fragments all over every surface in Lydia's classroom. After we cleaned that up, we helped set up the computers in their new location and moved some library books where the ceiling had collapsed from the rain the night after the tornado.

Next, I'll post some ground-level shots from in and around the school.