A tornado killed one and injured four after touching down on College Street in

Auburn on Thursday afternoon. Several homes and businesses reported damage, totaling

about $150,000.

Evelyn Morrison was killed coming out of the Big Band Sound Record Shop and

getting into her car, when a limb from a nearby oak tree hit her in the head. A coroner’s

report stated the cause of death as severe brain trauma. Morrison, of 67 Kent Street, was

a retired Cary Woods Elementary School teacher who was currently working at the

AmSouth Bank. No funeral arrangements have been set.

“I feel just awful about Miss Morrison,” said Mayor Bill Ham. “She was an old

friend and a life-long resident of the town.”

The four injured were in the shared building of the A&P grocery store and the Big

Band Sound Record Shop. George and Thelma Jones, of 1311 13th

“We were lucky more people weren’t hurt,” said Police Chief Robert Sykes.

“There were quite a few people in the area at the time.”

Street, were treated

for minor cuts and then released from the Good Hope Hospital. Irving Smalley, of 123

Urban Street, was kept overnight because of more serious cuts, but was listed in good

condition. Anna Patton, of 12 Pinto Ave., had major injuries from being buried by an

aisle of canned goods at the A&P. She had surgery last night and was listed in critical

condition.

The A&P and Big Band Sound Record Store both estimated damage to the

businesses to be in the thousands of dollars.

Red Cedar said the only damage to his used car lot was one car which limbs fell

on.

The AmSouth bank, temporarily housed in a mobile home while a permanent

building is being built, was lifted off its foundation and destroyed. The nearby building

site suffered no damage.

“That part of College Street looks like a bomb has been dropped on it,” said Sykes.

“It’s going to take us several days to get it all cleared up. It’s amazing that all this

damage was done in less than 2 minutes.”

Three homes in the 1300 block of College Street were damaged, including that of

Mayor Ham, whose roof was torn off.

“We were lucky because no one was home,” said Ham.

Melody Stricklin, an Auburn University student, was in the record store at the

time the tornado struck, and said the noise right before was the “scariest thing.”

“It was like the loudest drum roll I ever heard,” she said. “Then there was sounds

of glass breaking and things crashing around you.”

“The worst thing was the looters,” said Holbert Morrison, manager of the A&P.

“I just couldn’t believe that some people would steal from us after something like this

had happened.”

Sykes said the police have arrested several Auburn University students for looting.