“I am happy to be alive,” said Judy Robertson of Wayne. She has every reason to be. Judy, along with about 20 other employees of Concord Components, were huddled in a bathroom while an EF4 tornado bore down on the east end of Wayne Friday, Oct. 4th.
“There were sirens going off, but we couldn’t hear them. We are a distance away from them,” Judy stated. “Luckily, people told us the sirens were going off.”
Upon looking at the sky, a tornado was not spotted. “We thought what we saw was a wall cloud. We didn’t realize it was as big as it was,” Judy said.
Judy didn’t hear the loud sounds people describe when in a tornado, such as it sounding like a train coming through. “I could feel the concrete walls swaying behind my back,” Judy stated. The doors caved in and I could hear the ripple of the wind and things hitting other things. The water was sucked out of the toilet in the bathroom we were in.”
When the tornado had passed, Judy and her fellow employees went outside to more than they anticipated. “I walked out and saw devastation. I couldn’t believe it,” Judy said.
Concord Components suffered mostly interior damage. “The wind came in and took everything out,” Judy stated.
Concord Components buys and resells electrical components. “Our major distributor is for the government,” Judy said. “It will take a few weeks to clean up, do inventory and other things before it (the business) will be up and running.”
Other businesses in Wayne didn’t fare quite as well, such as John Deere, Wayne East and many others. The Wayne Softball Complex was also damaged. Approximately ten homes were damaged.
15 people were reported as injured, one critically, but there weren’t any fatalities.
Judy has advice to share with everyone. “If and when you are in a sever thunderstorm or tornado warning, please don’t be stupid. Take shelter! Your life is worth it,”
Damage from Friday night’s tornado that struck Wayne. Photo Credit/he wishes to remain anonymous.
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