News from May 8, 2003 issue

STORM INJURES 1, DAMAGES 4 HOMES
BY ALLISON EVANS
Tornadic winds and lightning injured a 74-year-old woman and damaged or destroyed four homes and other buildings near Mattoon Sunday night.

Another storm did damage in several areas of Crittenden and Livingston counties Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Fallen trees, destroyed tool sheds and blown-down silos were among the reports from Lola to Piney and Mott City. More than 600 Kenergy customers in Crittenden and Caldwell counties were without power during the height of the storm because of downed lines and damage to two substations. About 300 homes were still without electricity Wednesday morning. Tornadoes killed 2 in southern Illinois.

The Sunday tornado hit Paul Tramel's home on Mattoon Loop before he knew what was happening. It was his grandmother, Ann Hina, who was hurt when her mobile home was picked up by the tornado and tossed into Tramel's nearby frame home.

Just before the storm hit, Tramel, 26, drove down the road to get his neighbor Mark McDowell and three others out of McDowell's mobile home. He took them back to his house where he figured they'd be safer.

"I was fixing to go get my grandmother out of her trailer when the windows busted out of the house," he said, standing near the mangled wreckage where his grandmother's trailer was smashed into his own home.

As the tornado passed through, Tramel covered his five-year-old daughter, Chelsea, and the McDowells with a mattress and began working frantically to get to his grandmother, who was trapped in the wreckage.

"I tried to kick my door open but everything from the trailer was in front of the door."
By the time Hina knew the storm was coming it was too late for her seek refuge in her grandson's house located directly behind her mobile home.

"I had just gotten in bed and started hearing really, really loud noises and realized it wasn't normal," she said. "I laid down on the floor beside the bed and heard the underpinning pull loose.

"In a matter of seconds it started turning. I knew what was transpiring but I couldn't do anything.

"I felt the movement of the trailer turning, rolling on me and when it stopped I was in a standing position."

When Tramel finally got outside, he found his grandmother's mobile home slammed into the front of his house, with only an end bedroom ­ fortunately the one where Hina slept ­ recognizable. The mobile home was thrown into the front of Tramel's house, and part of it was left lying on Tramel's roof.

After running to his parents' house next door to call for help, he and his father, Steve Tramel, returned to look for Hina.

"It was raining and windy and I climbed up on dad's back to climb in a window," Tramel said.

They quickly found Hina pinned between a dresser, some shelves and her bed.
"I guess when it rolled it stood me up," Hina said. "I got the furniture off of me and began hearing voices, my son-in-law and grandson looking for me."

Hina said prayers that her children and grandchildren would not be injured were answered, and the good Lord took care of her too.

"It was amazing that her bedroom was the only thing that was intact," Steve Tramel said.
The Tramels drove Hina toward the Mattoon General Store to meet an ambulance, but downed trees blocked their path.

She was treated at Crittenden Hospital that night for several cuts to her face, but was not seriously injured.

About an hour before the tornado hit Mattoon, lightning that preceded the storm struck Thom and Sandra Hawthorne's home high atop a hill off White Road, causing considerable damage.

Sandra Hawthorne was sitting in her bedroom talking to her daughter Tracy when she heard an explosion.

"The ceilings fell and the lights went out and I couldn't find my way out," Hawthorne said. "Tracy found her flashlight and I yelled downstairs to see if Thom was okay and then we smelled smoke."

Thom Hawthrone immediately went outside and got a water hose and began spraying water into a two-foot hole cut through the roof by the lightning bolt.

The strike ignited support beams above a second-story closet and bathroom, caused the second floor ceilings to collapse and knocked items such as pictures and antiques off walls, tables and shelves on the home's first floor.

Thom Hawthrone and his son, Thom Jr., contained the fire until Mattoon, Crittenden and Sullivan fire departments arrived and completely extinguished it.

"It's such a miracle. If it would have been 10 minutes earlier, I would have been in the bathtub," she said, pointing to a pile of sheet rock that landed on the tub.
"Ten minutes later and Tracy would have been in bed," again pointing in the direction of her daughter's room where debris covered the bed.

The collapse of the second-story ceilings scattered insulation in every room of the house. Friends arrived first thing Monday to help the Hawthrones begin a very laborious task of cleaning up.

"This is just stuff," Hawthorne said about her furnishings and damaged house, built built about four years ago. "I lost nothing. It wasn't somebody."

Contractor Ronnie Riley said the roof, walls and ceilings will need to be removed to assess damage to the home's wiring. Lightning also knocked out their phones.

"If I hadn't had a cell phone the house would have burned down," Hawthorne said, noting the time it would have taken to get to a neighbor's house for help. "Everyone needs one."

GROUP COMPLETES DEAL FOR OLD HOSPITAL
The first step toward saving Crittenden County's original hospital was achieved last week.

The recently-formed, non-profit organization Crittenden County Tomorrow, Inc., purchased the historic building from Robert Roberts.

Once the deal was closed, Crittenden County Tomorrow volunteers wasted no time cleaning up the grounds of the old three-story building. They started work in earnest Saturday morning, mowing the grass, trimming trees and picking up debris.

An architect offered advice for proceeding with the stabilization effort.

"We need more information on the condition of certain sections of the building, and that examination will help us correctly determine what direction to take," said Linda Schumann, president of Crittenden County Tomorrow.

Schumann and other citizens hoping to save the structure from demolition began a fund-raising effort last fall that netted $46,000.

"So many prayers have been answered and so many doors opened," said CCT member Patty Gilbert. "When one (opportunity) would collapse and another avenue would open up."

Schumann said CCT will put $20,000 in a contingency fund and spend $25,000 to stabilize the 100-year-old structure.

"The next step is assessment, to make a plan of what order we'll proceed," she said. "The first priority will probably be the roof and guttering."

Immediately, the organization will board up broken windows and doors to protect it from weather and to prevent people from getting inside the building, which could cause further damage. The grounds will be posted and residents are asked to help keep an eye on the sensitive old building.

Schumann said descendants of E.J. Hayward, who built what Schumann calls "the greatest house ever built in Crittenden County," are pleased with local interest in the project.

"It's the last old building in Marion that can be restored, and foundation-wise it is very sound," said carpenter and CCT member Philip Wright. "It's just been neglected 30 years or longer."

Gilbert hopes more people will get behind the effort now that they see it isn't "just a passing fancy."

While a committee explores outside funding sources, including state and federal grants, the group will turn its immediate attention to plans for a Fourth of July event. The annual Marion High School reunion held during the Fourth Weekend generally draws dozens of people. CCT wants to have a reception or gathering on the lawn of the Hayward House.

"A lot of people wanted to see that we got possession before they committed to assist," said CCT volunteer Donnetta Travis. "And we want to make it as presentable as we can from the outside."

"There is a broad base of people the building touches," Schumann said, "including those interested in preservation, others who care nothing about that but were born here and those who went to high school here."

CHAMBER RENEWS TOURISM FOCUS
Crittenden is among the counties in western Kentucky that spends the least on tourism, but Chamber of Commerce executive director Jeannie Hodge sees some changes on the horizon.

In fact, the Chamber voted Tuesday night to amend its official mission statement so that its focus on tourism will be spelled out in black and white."

Some people felt like tourism had been neglected in the past," Hodge said. So the Chamber's board of directors has recently taken steps to add a renewed emphasis on promoting area tourism.

In Kentucky, tourism is big business and statewide spending to lure visitors is on the rise. Spending on tourism increased from $8.6 billion in Kentucky in 2001 to $9.1 billion last year.

Crittenden County's tourism spending was up over the last two years, too. In 2001, the county's government agencies and private businesses doled out more than $1.7 million toward tourism. In 2002, that figure jumped up $28,608 to just over $1.8 million.

Spending reports are based on a formula that samples various businesses in the tourism industry. It measures trends based on information collected from a variety of sources including surveys and interviews.

Hodge says that when more local resources are poured into the tourism industry, the county's economy could reap some big rewards.The Kentucky Tourism Development Cabinet released the 2002 tourism spending figures early this week, which show that spending on tourism is increasing all across the state, especially in western Kentucky.McCracken, Christian and Lyon counties showed the greatest surge in tourism spending over the last couple of years.

According to the state's information, Crittenden County has 37 jobs directly related to tourism."It's not just about spending more money on tourism.

"We need to put on our best face for tourists," Hodge said.

The Chamber has considered developing a program or workshop that would help local merchants train employees to be more courteous and helpful to tourists. Hodge said that if there is enough interest, the Chamber would sponsor such a program.

Hodge thinks local tourism is on the upswing, primarily because of some new attractions. The re-location of the Mantle Rock Cherokees to Marion and the development of Paddy's Bluff Retreat, an ATV park on the Cumberland River, are two big drawing cards that the Chamber is banking on to help create more tourism.

The Chamber office has received several phone calls from other Native American tribes and individuals who are interested in relocating.

With a renewed emphisis on tourism, the Chamber is looking for a few new, good ideas.

"What we need are more people with imagination," she said.

Hodge said the Amish community, which has long been a mainstay for local tourism, is very seasonal. The Amish familes live on working farms, so tourism is not their main source of revenue.

The Chamber director thinks the Native American link with the Mantle Rock Cherokees and the ATV park near Dycusburg will improve the county's rate of tourism growth. The key, she says, is marketing.

"Until people know about what we have here, they're not going to come see us. The Indian tribe is something we can build on and think they're very excited about being a part of it."

Hodge also points to the Cave In Rock Ferry, the Chamber's Hunting Expo and other natural resources such as wildlife and scenic areas as prime attractions for tourism.

"We just need to continue building on what we have," she said. "I have always seen tourism as part of my job, but until now it wasn't actually part of our mission statement."
With renewed emphisis on tourism and a handful of new and interesting attractions, Hodge predicts that local tourism is on the verge of some rapid growth.