Joplin tornado update
Hello Mayberry friends, thought some of you might want some more news from Joplin. Yesterday a crew of about 30 people from Samaritan's Purse came by to tackle the enormous mess that used to be our yard. We lost about 30 large trees, but they got them all cut up and cleared away. We literally do have enough wood for seven winters, as Andy once remarked to Gomer. Residents have been told to pile branches, etc. by the curb for pickup, but the street in front of the house is still blocked by utility vehicles and pipes and cables and stuff; most of this stuff was there before the storm. So, we piled up huge mountains of debris and got it as close to the street as we could. The crew from Samaritan's Purse brought a skip loader, which was a huge help. The larger stumps will require a backhoe, and an old friend of my dad's is going to bring his over on Saturday. Hey Ken, I could use some of those Wisconsin maple seeds. We had two maple trees but they're gone now, along with 11 walnuts, 4 cedars, 7 or 8 persimmons, 1 dogwood, 1 redbud, 2 elms, and several other trees I never could identify. The apple tree survives! The outpouring of love and help all over town continues to amaze me. The coolest thing of all was when a travelling circus brought in their elephants, yes, I said ELEPHANTS! and put them to work pulling wrecked cars out of the rubble. Several groups have set up emergency medical stations, including one right across the street from my house, so I did finally get a tetanus shot. So to all of you who had been practicing Dig My Grave with a Silver Spade for my funeral, just hold off on that for a while. Most of you probably also heard that President Obama visited Joplin. He gave a nice speech at a memorial service, and also toured the damaged area and met with just folks to offer encouragement. We weren't able to attend the memorial service because we were working with insurance adjustors that afternoon. Our insurance company has been amazing, we received a check for the house less than a week after it was destroyed. We hope to receive another check for the contents this week, that was a separate policy. A word of advice: get a video camera and make a record of absolutely everything in your house and garage, then store this video somewhere away from the house. DO THIS TODAY, and do it again every year or so. I was given this advice many times over the years but I ignored it. It's been quite a challenge to come up with a complete list of the stuff we lost. Well, I'm off to meet with realtors and bankers this morning, then it's back to the remains of the house to finish cleaning up the yard. Keep a good thought. Paul Mulik ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Tornado Update
I suppose I really should go get a tetanus shot. Wouldn't want them to have to erect a statue of me slumpin' as I breathed my last. . Take the shot, Paul. We'd all rather you be a live you. Don no smart alecky remark this time Good ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Tornado update
Hello dear friends, As day 5 begins (I think - kind of hard to keep track of what day it is here) I thought I would pass on a little more news from Joplin. Charity groups have set up all over town and are providing help to many thousands of needy people. Restaurants like Pizza Hut have these huge mobile kitchens giving out free hot food. Every church in town that is still standing is doing to same thing, and also giving out groceries and toiletries and diapers and that sort of thing. Through most of this week my wife and kids have stayed at Grandma's (20 miles away) while I've been hanging around my house continuing to sort through the rubble and working with insurance adjustors and the like. I've been having lunch at church every day, and yesterday's lunch included a special treat, Girl Scout Cookies! The local council stopped by and dropped off a few cases. Little things like this are a HUGE morale booster, let me tell you. The flood of donations all over town has been overwhelming. Duracell has a mobile unit that will charge up any type of electronic device anyone brings to them. Tide has a program called Loads of Hope that is doing laundry. Medical groups have emergency first aid stations everywhere. Twice this week I have stepped on nails, I suppose I really should go get a tetanus shot. Wouldn't want them to have to erect a statue of me slumpin' as I breathed my last. A local group of radio stations have been broadcasting helpful information around the clock. They've temporarily stopped the country music (which I dislike anyway) and talk radio programs (I don't like most of those either) and are now taking phone calls and giving out info. Someone will call with a question like where can I get a [--whatever they need--] and a few minutes later someone else will call in and say tell me where you are and I will bring it to you in half an hour. Someone else might call in to say they found a lost beagle at 15th and Main, or to say something like I'm driving to Kansas City tomorrow, does anybody need a ride? and things of that nature. This has been a huge blessing. Without modern communication this nightmare would have been far, far, worse. Of course nobody has electricity or phone service, but cell phone calls have been getting through, not very well for the first day or two, but it is much better now. Text messaging and email have worked fine the whole time, this is what most folks have been using. Back in Mayberry Sarah did a great job at the switchboard, but I prefer my BlackBerry today. The air all over the disaster zone is alive with the hum of chain saws as workers are clearing debris away from the houses that are still standing. Most of the roads were cleared within 24 hours, but there are tens of thousands of downed trees everywhere. A crew of two guys came to my house yesterday and worked for several hours, and that was just to clear away the trees that were touching the structures. I probably forgot to mention earlier that there is a second smaller house on my property, it belongs to my aunt who lives in a care facility a few miles north of the damaged area (she's fine - probably doesn't even know there was a tornado) and we rent her house to two young women, both of whom are also fine. Many friends are volunteering to bring their own saws and help, however this first job required professionals. The rest of my yard can wait a while. It is hard to find any gasoline in Joplin, but most of the tree crews in town came from somewhere's else and of course they bring cans full of gas with them. Anybody need any firewood? There's enough for seven winters. Today we will be heading up to Maryville, MO, in the northwest corner of the state near the Iowa state line, where our son Taylor is graduating from college at age 17 (he takes after me a good bit). We're so proud of him! I was able to get a new suit yesterday, my others were so soaked and muddy that I didn't even try to get them cleaned. It will be nice to get away from Joplin for two days. We have also found a new place to live! Our insurance company has really gone to bat for us, we were amazed they could find a place so quickly when there are so many other families looking. If anyone should like to send a card or anything, the address is 4005 LaQuesta Drive unit A, Neosho MO 64850. Don't send anything just yet though, it will probably be about a week before we actually move in. I've no idea when (if ever) we might receive any of the mail that was sent to the old house. I guess it's all piling up at some post office warehouse for now. The twins' birthday is next week and relatives have probably been sending them stuff but who knows if we'll ever get it. Many folks also sent Taylor graduation cards before the tornado and we had been stacking them up in his room, but they're all gone now. I guess I'd better go now. One last thing, if anyone should like to help financially (I mean
Tornado update
Hello friends, A small army of friends and even some complete strangers worked tirelessly yesterday, helping Cindee and I with the remains of our house. No rain! The sun actually shone brightly for a bit. I actually got a sunburn, even though it was cloudy almost all day, but it's not as bad as the sunburn Andy got that one time. Words can't describe our gratitude. All over town are thousands upon thousands of people helping people. In the midst of all of this terrible suffering, I have not heard one single cross word from anybody. Local churches and charities are overflowing with donations, some to the point where they can't accept anything more due to lack of space. We got the roof of my garage patched up (it is now crammed with the stuff we saved from the house -- including the pianos!), then we moved on to help the neighbors who still had roofs to fix theirs up as best we could, until we ran out of supplies. At some point, a small army of lumberjacks (actually, a large army of lumberjacks) will be needed to start clearing away all of the downed trees, but that can wait a month or so. When we moved in to the house 12 years ago, me and my boys, who were 5 at the time, planted an apple tree in the backyard. A bigger tree fell on it and broke half its branches off, but we got the big tree cleared away and I think that little apple tree is going to survive, though it may be the only three that does (we had about 30 or 40 trees, never counted them). At about 1:00 p.m. a local restaurant that was not damaged brought two big trays of hot food to the neighborhood, so we all took a break and sat on the ground to eat. I have dined in the finest restaurants in New Orleans, but I have never tasted food like that (not really, but most of you will recognize that quote). Quips aside, it was just simple fare, but the best meal I had eaten in a very long time. I hope nobody noticed that I was crying as I ate mine. Events like this make a person re-evaluate the things in life that are truly important and the ones which aren't worth a tiddly-boo. I have decided that once we get back into some sort of normal life again, maybe in two or three months, I am going to sell everything that survived from my Mayberry collection (except for the items that were personally autographed to me, which would have no value to anybody else) and donate the proceeds to help other tornado victims. It's all in boxes now but I think I still have two plates, six coffee mugs, three Hawthorne buildings, several sets of trading cards, a matched pair of Andy and Barney nodders, two or three comic books, some unopened board games (I could never find anybody willing to play those trivia games against me -- maybe because it was I who proofread all of the questions for the game in the first place?), and a lot of TV guides (the books were in plastic wrappers and may still be undamaged). The gem of the collection is a very valuable mint condition coloring book. It was professionally framed, the glass is broken but I think the book is still OK. I also still have about 40 or 50 VHS tapes, but they all got wet. Maybe the tapes will still play, if anybody even uses VHS anymore. I mainly kept them all these years for the colorful packaging, which made a really nice display on the shelf. Anyway, all of this stuff is going on eBay sometime during the summer. I will be sure to let everyone here know about all of the auctions well ahead of time. I hope to raise at least $1,000. I almost forgot, all four of our cats have returned, one looking very dirty and frightened and undernourished, but other than that alive and well. There was also a fifth cat who wasn't really ours but just sort of moved in on us about six weeks ago; maybe he found his way back to his original home. He was neutered, so he had to have belonged to someone. I guess that's all for now. Paul Mulik ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Joplin Tornado
My prayers and thoughts are with Paul and all those whose lives have been touched by the devastating tornado in Joplin. Linda ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Tornado
Paul, Thanks so much for keeping us updated. Thoughts and prayers to you all. Clyde Barn ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Tornado song
Cheery hello to all, It saddens me to know so many are once again dealing with the devastation a tornado leaves behind. We have some dear friends that lost a son in the Tuscaloosa storm in April, and now to hear about Joplin, it's just heart wrenching. Glad Mr. Mulik and family are all well, and like he said stuff can be replaced. As to my favorite song, I don't believe any one has mentioned it yet, but I could have overlooked it, but I just love it when Andy and Barney sing Spread a little Sunshine...ain't that perty? Lots of luck to you and yours, Sandra ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Paul, the tornado, blessings
Paul, thank you for posting your very vivid story of your family's experience in the Joplin tornado. Watching the news on tv, even listening to the many survivor interviews, didn't bring it alive to me as much as your words did. You have a real ability to articulate your feelings impressions, and I thank you for sharing that. And I've been thinking on (as Andy would say) what a blessing we have with today's communication options. The fact that Paul could communicate with all of us such a short time after his world was so devastated is an awesome thing. If we really were back in the good old days of Mayberry, it could be weeks before word would finally start trickling out about the extent of the devastation and the fate of our friends loved ones. So, as much as I've always said I'd love to live in Mayberry in those days, and as much as I've often resented the intrusion of today's electronal marvels, Paul's BlackBerry is one whose value I now fully appreciate. ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Tornado
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family and all the others displaced by the Joplin Tornado and the earlier ones. So glad you could remove some items and save others. Just wondering, I have always been interested in Bonnie and Clyde and wondered if the house they stayed in Joplin in the 1930's was still standing after the Tornado? Larry Rowland ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Joplin Tornado
My house and the contents were destroyed but praise the LORD my family are safe. Will send more info later. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Joplin tornado
-- Message: 3 Date: Mon, 23 May 2011 12:51:02 + From: tub...@swbell.net To: wbmutbb@wbmutbb.com wbmutbb@wbmutbb.com Subject: Joplin Tornado Message-ID: 500582955-1306155063-cardhu_decombobulator_blackberry.rim.net-313335182-@b1.c1.bise6.blackberry Content-Type: text/plain; charset=Windows-1252 My house and the contents were destroyed but praise the LORD my family are safe. Will send more info later. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry? smartphone Paul, When I heard the news this morning my first thoughts were of you and your family. Thankfully you are safe. Having been in Tuscaloosa on April 27th and experiencing the devastation there our prayers will be with you for a speedy recovery both personally and in your city. We will be thinking of you. David David L. Browning The Mayberry Deputy 200 McArthur Circle Bristol, VA 24201 276-669-2411 www.DavidBrowningProductions.com It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth -- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up -- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had. - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
RE: Joplin Tornado
Paul, My thoughts and prayers are with you and yours, and the rest of Joplin. Clyde Barn ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Paul Mulik/Joplin tornado
Paul I am so glad you're safe, please update us when you can. I am so sorry to hear about your damage. You and your family will be in my prayers. I know a few TAGS fans where I live in Alabama that are in the same boat you are, after what happened April 27th. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Joplin Tornado
My house and the contents were destroyed but praise the LORD my family are safe. Will send more info later. Paul Mulik Paul, I thought of you immediately upon hearing the sad news of such devastation in Joplin. We are so very, very sorry about the loss of your home and contents, but are thankful that you and your family are okay. May God give you strength and courage at this difficult time. My family members in Joplin are also safe, and my nephew was on a search-and-rescue team throughout the night. On a lighter note, this makes me think of the worst weather experienced in Mayberry. I can only recall the severe thunderstorm in Dogs! Dogs! Dogs! and Barney's discourse on selfish giraffes. Have I forgotten other episodes of inclement weather? I do remember the Mayberry Courthouse gang wearing coats and jackets in the Christmas episode, but that doesn't necessarily indicate bad weather. God bless Paul, and peace to all. Larry in CO ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
tornado
I'm sorry to hear about your house Paul, it's good to know that you were not injured! Kim - TX ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Joplin Tornado
My house and the contents were destroyed but praise the LORD my family are safe. Will send more info later. God Bless you and your family, Paul. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and to the residents of Joplin. It hurts me so to read of so much destruction and loss of life in your area and throughout the region due to the storms, tornados, and flooding. Take care, fellow Mayberrian. albert ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Tornado
Hello friends, This will be a very lengthy message with very little Mayberry content. There's no reason to read it at all if you don't want to, but I need to get all of this into words. As reported yesterday, our house was destroyed by the tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri. My family are all safe and in good spirits, including the dogs, but 2 of our cats are still unaccounted for. My wife and I were at home with two of our kids (the third is away at school; he graduates Saturday) when the storm hit. The local news reported a funnel a few miles away, and the sirens went off. We do not have a basement, so we grabbed the dogs, a radio, a flashlight, and our cell phones and huddled in an interior hallway. I made the kids put their shoes on first, which turned out to be a very good decision. We had not been there 30 seconds when our house was hit. There are no words to express the terror we felt. The sky went black, even though it was only about 5:30 p.m. Enormous hailstones were pounding the house, then it soon became apparent that this was a very big tornado. At some point the power failed. The noise was horrendous. Glass was flying everywhere, and I was wearing shorts so I suffered numerous cuts to my legs but nothing serious. Later I found broken glass inside my pockets. The scariest moment came when my son, who is autistic and does not speak, wandered away from the rest of us but I kept screaming his name and he soon found his way back. I guess he had tried to go get something out of his room. After what seemed like an hour but was probably only 2 or 3 minutes, it subsided. We emerged from the hallway to find that it was the only part of the house that was spared. Most of the roof and nearly all of the windows were gone. I had two rooms full of Mayberry memorabilia, and most of that was badly damaged or just gone. But that's just STUFF, and stuff is unimportant. I can always get more stuff later. Every inch of the floor was covered with broken glass. I made my way outside, where neighbors were beginning to congregate. Every house as for as you could see was demolished. Thousands upon thousands of houses and businesses, just gone. You've seen the news reports, you know what it looks like. A group of us went from door to door checking on the neighbors, and thankfully no one in the immediate area except me was even injured. My house was the best on the whole block. Most folks lost everything. Traffic was completely jammed in all directions and most of the roads were blocked; they have since been cleared, though it will be months before all the rubble can be cleared away. My wife's dad was eventually able to get to within a few blocks of our house, continuing the rest of the way on foot. We packed some clothes and hiked to his car, then finally made it to his house, which was undamaged, where we spent the night. It still has not stopped raining. We spent all day today going through the house in the pouring rain to see what we could save. Friends from church, an old college buddy, and my sister and nephew came to help. The kids' rooms were not damaged except for a bit of water leaking through the ceiling. We got several carloads of stuff to my inlaws' house. We saved our computers (but not the chargers), important papers, and most of our clothes, photo albums, DVDs, and most of my daughter's books and toys. We got a lot of the furniture moved out, and moved much of the rest of it into the part of the house that was still dry. We have three pianos (that's my business), two large grands and one large old upright. Except for the finish they are undamaged but I don't know how we'll ever get them out. Every interior door in the house was blown off its hinges, so we nailed these up over some of the broken windows, and got tarps up over the rest. The rain has still not stopped, and I will not be surprised if tomorrow or Wednesday (what day is it, anyway?) the rest of the roof caves in. Our garage fared much better, the two cars inside were not damaged at all (we got both of them out today), and the rear hatch of the Cherokee on the carport is smashed in, but it is still driveable. We are now at my parents' house in Neosho, MO, which is about 20 miles south of Joplin. We will probably stay here for the next few weeks. My wife's workplace (General Mills) was not damaged, so she still has her job, and all of my piano tools were in my van so I can still work too, eventually. Very few phone calls are getting through, but I've received many emails and text messages from my friends in Mayberry and beyond. Once again, we are all safe and in good spirits. Thanks so much to everyone who was been praying for us. We hope you will continue to do so, or if you're not the praying type, then as Barney says keep a good thought. Sincerely, Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone
tornado
Thanks, David and Patty for such a vivid description of what you went through. I am glad the Mayberry contingent came through it by the power of God's grace! I can not imagine how it is there, even when I go to our daughter and son in laws neighborhood where one street was damaged from end to end, some slight, some total. One trailer near there exploded when the winds hit. Stay safe, bring some joy to the masses if you can, and keep us informed as to the others in AL - Floyd and Otis and any others in that area. Thanks again for the report Mr. Sims and my home is not for sale... TheCameraNut! ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
