From June 2001 to December 2003 I worked as a programmer in Earle, Arkansas, at a factory/warehouse that distributed household storage items. I’m now at home watching the news, where they’re showing video of the tornado damage in Earle this afternoon. It looks like the factory was totally destroyed!
I’m completely shocked. I hope my former co-workers are okay. It was a family-owned business and the type of place where most of the employees stayed for their entire career (although not me, as I got tired of the 30-mile commute each way after a couple of years). Reports of injuries/deaths have not come in yet as of this post (5:20 PM). My thoughts are with my former co-workers and their families. Even if they survived okay, they’re probably out of a job now. And homeless, if they lived and worked in Earle. Many of the factory workers did, although the professional employees tended to live in Marion, West Memphis, or Memphis.
Just sitting here stunned thinking, I could have been there.
Video continues to come in. Police and other agencies have set up a command post at the Mad Butcher/IGA across State Highway 149, which looks like it didn’t get hit.
I’m probably skipping Music Fest tonight. I want to be home or near home, where I have access to the latest news and can find out if the people I used to work with were injured or killed. If I go anywhere it’ll be somewhere close by. If you go, have a good time and be safe. I’ll be there all day tomorrow and Sunday.