07.28.08
Tornado Kills Local NH Woman
Look closely and you will see the American flag on the left of the photo, and much devastation on the right side. Photo taken from the Northwood, NH side of the lake.
This report of a “funnel cloud,” i.e. “tornado” will not come as news to those of us who live in New Hampshire as it happened a few days ago. Today, we drove to Deerfield because it is the town where I grew up and I wanted to see if I could view any tornado damage from the road. Side roads where most of the damage occurred were being manned by Deerfield and Northwood police and only local traffic was allowed through.
Backwater of Northwood Lake shows trees blown over, on the edge.
On North Road in Deerfield, we could see trees devoid of their branches and many of them pushed right over, heavy roots upended. The most sickening site of all is the one seen below. I believe that this must have been the former, two story, Log home of Brenda and Harley Stevens. When the storm hit, unexpectedly, the structure collapsed, killing Brenda and injuring her husband and grandson. She was the only fatality of the violent storm that tore through four communities in a short time.
Machinery is already at work, removing the rubble of what once was (presumably) the home of Harley and Brenda Stevens of Deerfield, NH.
A final view across the water, from the roadside in Northwood. More damage from the tornado.
Hearing about this tragedy makes me ever-mindful of the fragility of life. One does not expect to be living one moment and have one’s life snuffed out the next minute. This past weekend, parishioners were attending a church service in Tennessee, listening to children sing in a rehearsed performance. Suddenly, a gunman burst in and shot a man dead. Three men (heroes) jumped the assailant and pinned him down until the police could arrive. They were kind enough not to take the gun and shoot the madman in the head, while they had a chance.
Tragedies happen, whether man-made or as a result of the whims of nature, and they should make us all stop and ponder the “what-ifs.” I will leave those thoughts to your imagination. It was sobering to see my old town torn up in this manner. There is a lesson to be learned from everything in life and some lessons are just too hard, especially when they involve loss of life.
Patricia Cummings
