MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A family who chose not to evacuate Tuesday night got a surprise when it came calling at their Alabama home.
Michael Davies and his family came all the way from Dallas to stay in their new summer home on Dauphin Island.
There visit collided with Tropical Storm Gordon’s unpredictable path.
“We looked right after dinner last night. It didn’t look that bad,” he said.
That soon changed.
Gordon’s winds ratcheted up in intensity with debris flying in every which direction.
“The house was obviously rattling for probably about two hours. I don’t think people realize what 70 mile-per-hour winds are like until you’ve been in it,” Davies said.
But by that point, it was too late to evacuate.
“The pressure dropped so much, we couldn’t get the doors open. I mean, that’s one thing you don’t realize,” he said.
Twelve hours later, calm finally returned to a resort community that thrives on it.
A flag whipped resiliently from Davies’ home – a home that was tested by its first-ever storm.
