Thursday, May 23, 2013

The Commercial Appeal meets my parents and checks out their safe room

Well, this has been quite a week!  Memphis is continuing to bring me photos back of my parents through the media.

My parents were interviewed earlier today by Memphis newspaper, The Commercial Appeal.  In particular, Tom Charlier was most interested in their safe room.

When they built their home a few years ago, my parents didn't opt to install a shelter.  They just installed their safe room about a year ago.  When Tom initially called me, I gave him the basic facts and put him in touch with my parents.

A few hours later, my phone rang again.  It was Tom.  He had already met my parents, interviewed them, and had taken photos at their house.  I wasn't sure what he might need.  He said, "So your parents say that they installed the safe room because you wouldn't stop pestering them about it.  Can you tell me about that?"

I just had to laugh.  I would never share that detail with any news reporter on my own.  I explained that I had really pushed them to install a shelter.  My childhood home is not as close to the path of the tornado and their new home is in the direct path.  It's hard enough to be that close to the tornado, much less to not have a shelter.

Anyway, you should click here to read the article yourself.  I just realized - there's also a video of them demonstrating the safe room below the top photo.

Update - the article was also reprinted in the Naples News in Florida.  It's a slightly different version with different photos and no video.  Here's the link.  

Photo from the CommercialAppeal.com

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