Toughing Out The Storm: Eastbrook Residents Say They Have Little Protection
By: Kayla Moody
Updated: January 30, 2013
It is a storm many in Evansville remember -- an EF 3 tornado rips through a mobile home park before it tears up a Newburgh neighborhood. A total of 25 people died from the storm.
Twenty of those killed were living in the Eastbrook mobile home park on Evansville's southeast side. More than seven years later, some Eastbrook residents say they're at a loss when it comes to protecting themselves during severe weather.
Many have weather radios to alert them about incoming storms and have secured their trailers to the ground with metal ties. Even still, many residents say they feel somewhat helpless when it comes to staying safe. Some say they have two options: stay, and tough out the storm or leave. Leaving, however, isn't an option for everyone.
"I just kinda deal with it, you know, and hope that it's not gonna happen again," says Tonya Lafary, a survivor of the 2005 tornado. "I have a bed now that I can get underneath but I wish there was a shelter out here."
At one time there were talks of seeking funding to build a storm shelter in Eastbrook but those plans seemingly faded away in 2009. The tornado caused an estimated $85-thousand in damage.
Twenty of those killed were living in the Eastbrook mobile home park on Evansville's southeast side. More than seven years later, some Eastbrook residents say they're at a loss when it comes to protecting themselves during severe weather.
Many have weather radios to alert them about incoming storms and have secured their trailers to the ground with metal ties. Even still, many residents say they feel somewhat helpless when it comes to staying safe. Some say they have two options: stay, and tough out the storm or leave. Leaving, however, isn't an option for everyone.
"I just kinda deal with it, you know, and hope that it's not gonna happen again," says Tonya Lafary, a survivor of the 2005 tornado. "I have a bed now that I can get underneath but I wish there was a shelter out here."
At one time there were talks of seeking funding to build a storm shelter in Eastbrook but those plans seemingly faded away in 2009. The tornado caused an estimated $85-thousand in damage.
