Weathering the storm

A tornado that ripped through the Wheatley farm a year ago today did more than destroy buildings. It also robbed the elderly Evans couple of monuments of their past.

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"We built all of this stuff ourselves, and we've lost so much in the way of memories," said Pat Wheatley, who has lived at the Clanton Road farm with her husband, Talmadge, for nearly 40 years.

An F2-class tornado struck the farm a little after 10 a.m. It cut a nearly one-mile swath of destruction extending from the Windmill Plantation subdivision to the Wheatley farm. Mrs. Wheatley estimated $100,000 of damage to her property.

Insurance money didn't cover the extent of the damage, Mrs. Wheatley, 64, said. In the past year, the Wheatley's have repaired one of their barns, but an empty spot remains where a two-story hay barn once stood.

Mrs. Wheatley's nephew used a bulldozer to push much of the debris to the side of the property, and some of the fencing is still in disrepair.

Other destroyed structures included a travel trailer, storage trailer and a chicken coop, but none of their animals, including horses, were harmed. Luckily, the storm did only minor damage to their home.

A month after the accident, Mr. Wheatley, 72, suffered from a recurrence of lung cancer. He is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatments, but it is the tornado that haunts him.

"He still has spells when he goes out there, and it hits him pretty hard," Mrs. Wheatley said. "He's dealing with the cancer, but he'll never get over the tornado. I'll never get over it, because we lost so much."

Here is an outline of some of the natural disasters that have affected Columbia County.

Hazard..........Time Frame.....Number...Injuries...Deaths....Documented Damage

Flood...........10/1990-8/2003...21.......0..........1.........$1,549,442

Tornado &........3/1875-2/2003....6......27..........5.........$3,239,600

Downburst

Severe..........12/1872-1/2004...30......10..........0...........$398,697

Winter Storm

Severe...........3/1956-8/2003...74.......3..........1.......... $617,900

Thunderstorm

Drought..........1925-2002.......14.......0..........0............Unknown

Hurricanes.......8/1881-9/1999....9.......0..........0...........$189,000

Source: Columbia County Emergency Services Division