By By Steve Gillespie and Georgia E. Frye / staff writers
September 17, 2004
Aubrey Engell and his wife, Linda, prepared for the worst as they waited in their Marion home for Hurricane Ivan.
The worst happened at 9 a.m. Thursday. A large pine tree fell on three vehicles parked in the Engells' driveway and two smaller pines fell on the Engells' Ponta Street house.
The Engells' daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter were staying in the Ponta Street home at the time the storm hit. Everyone escaped unharmed.
The Engells were among hundreds of people who suffered damage from tropical storm-force winds associated with Ivan.
After making landfall in Gulf Shores, Ala., the storm moved to the north toward Montgomery, side-swiping East Central Mississippi but spreading heavy rains and stiff winds over the area.
In Meridian, Misty and Bill Gibson awoke Thursday to find their Fifth Street house without electricity and about an inch of water in two rooms. High winds damaged their roof, sending water into the house.
So, the Gibsons stopped at Wal-Mart SuperCenter to shop for candles and a bucket to catch the water pouring through their roof. They also were looking in Wal-Mart for towels and batteries
But Wal-Mart SuperCenter was almost completely out of candles and batteries by about noon Thursday.
In Marion, the Engells also lost electricity at about 6:30 a.m. Thursday.
Then, about 2 1/2 hours later, the first pine tree fell in their yard and hit their daughter's 2000 Ford Taurus, the Engells' 1985 Toyota pickup truck and the Engells' 1989 Nissan Maxima.
Two other vehicles Aubrey Engell's 2001 Toyota Camry and his son-in-law's 1995 Chevrolet pickup were spared because they were parked across the street.
Engell and his family were on the front porch of the nine-room, brick home, when the tree hit the vehicles. After they went inside, two other trees landed on the house sending water into the kitchen, den, and utility room.
All the Engells could do was mop up water periodically and count their blessings that no one was hurt.