[MR] OT: University Of Maryland

[Raymond F]

>Yes, it was an interesting afternoon.  In fact 4 people in the SCA
>including myself work on campus:  Baroness Genvieve, Lord Llewyllen and
>Bohemond.  All of us are OK and in fact only found out about the tornado
>after it hit as our office suite is in the basement.  Our building,
>being brick and stone, took only minor damage.  Most of the big oak and
>pine trees in front of it, however are gone.  And it took more than two
>hours to get out of College Park last night.  The place looks like a war
>zone.  Flipped over cars, trees and power lines down everywhere.
>
>HRM Galmr.

I live in Beltsville, Maryland, a couple miles north of the D.C. Beltway and 
right off I-95.  My residence was remarkably untouched; my workplace (USDA) 
is another matter.  I had to walk to work, as the main roads were closed, 
and the place is, like the University of Maryland, a war zone.  My own 
building suffered roof damage, and my boss's office was a shambles, as was 
part of the main laboratory room.  What struck me the most were 1) virtually 
every tree, including the really big ones, were either splintered or just 
uprooted, 2) many of the glass panes in the greenhouses are shattered, and 
3) pieces of the shale from my building's roof had been driven into the 
ground like spears.

Yesterday I was griping that I missed lunch.  Talk about perspective.

In service, Talbot
Seneschal, Barony of Bright Hills


_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp