'It just kept rolling and thundering' - hearing was believing that something wasn't quite right

The Dallas Morning News ^ | February 2, 2003 | By MICHAEL GRANBERRY / The Dallas Morning News

[MeekOneGOP]

"It was a big shock," said Mr. Foster, 40, a banker. "It sounded like something fell on the house. I said, 'Oh, hell – what is that!' It was a 'BOOM!' – like none I've ever heard before. ...

< snip >

"And then when you later found out, it was just so sad."

Almost my identical reaction here at my house. I was FReepin' away when I heard it. I turned my head to try to figure out what and where it might be from, thinking 'what was THAT?' Living right next to Rowlett Road here in Northeast Dallas County, I am used to hearing trucks and so forth near my house, but this was different and louder. I had no idea until a short while later when I heard about the loss of communication of the Columbia. When it sunk in that it had broken up over the D/FW area, I realized what I had heard.

Fellow FReepers in Texas, Louisiana, or wherever you are, post your story/reaction on this thread. Thanks...

This thread is dedicated to the memory of the seven Columbia astronauts...

---

Video link: Shuttle over D/FW, Texas

[MeekOneGOP]

'It just kept rolling and thundering' - hearing
was believing that something wasn't quite right

Pinging to Texas and Louisiana FReepers. FYI, and post your reaction, etc. here. Thanks...

Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my Texas or Louisiana ping list!. . .don't be shy.
No, you don't HAVE to be a Texan to get on this list!

[MeekOneGOP]

'It just kept rolling and thundering' - hearing
was believing that something wasn't quite right

FYI, and post your reaction, etc. here. Thanks...

Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my General Interest ping list!. . .don't be shy.

[MeekOneGOP]

In East Plano, a fire of unknown origin started on the roof of a condominium at Park Boulevard and Ridgewood Drive. It drew spasms of panicked speculation. Frantic residents blamed the fire on debris raining down from the shuttle, saying no other cause was possible. Officials were still investigating the fire Saturday night and would not confirm the cause.

Hey, there is a mention of the fire you asked about yesterday. It wasn't in the DMN yesterday though. Interesting...

[TLBSHOW]

BTTT

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks. I guess everybody else is sleeping in this morning?...

[Xenalyte]

"It was a big shock," said Mr. Foster, 40, a banker. "It sounded like something fell on the house. I said, 'Oh, hell - what is that!' It was a 'BOOM!' - like none I've ever heard before. ... After Sept. 11, with anything unusual like this, I immediately think we're being attacked. And because of the cautious nature I've developed, it's made me somewhat unnerved when anything like this occurs. I feel much more anxiety about things like this, if only because they occur in a post-Sept. 11 context."

If this guy actually talks like this, I'm a red hen. It's okay, until we get to the part I've bolded.

[dtel]

Still can't believe it.
We were millimg around yesterday morning, we live in Smith County, just north of Tyler, when the ground starting shaking and a rumbling noise, accompanied by a very loud boom, rolled through.
My wife and I said "what the heck was that" in unison.
We actually thought a high pressure aquifer across the road had come uncapped and was spewing water.
The noise was very unnerving. Our place is on a hill in the woods and the ground was shaking, it was weird because the rumbling noise and ground shaking started and went on for about 5 seconds, then a very loud BOOM, and about 5 more seconds of shaking and the rumbling noise.
We had to go to Tyler and do a little job and when we started out, we heard on the radio what had happened.
We didn't get any debris as we are north of the flight path. Most of it landed about 70 miles SE of us.

[txdoda]

I'm in Palestine, Tx.....Yesterday AM I was outside, in a
somewhat "tree covered" area. I heard a loud boom, followed
by several smaller (sounding) ones. The sound very hard to describe, like loud, muffled, sonic booms. My first reflex
was to duck. When I looked up I could see two, widening vapor contrails.

A neighbor's son came over, first asking "what that was",
then saying it must have been an airplane. I told him, I
had never heard any plane making that kind of noise.

Not hearing anything that sounded like an *impact*, it
was about 15 minutes before I went back inside, where
the TV was on with the breaking news.......

As of 9:00AM this morning our Sheriff is reporting more
than 200 confirmed debris sites in & around Palestine, Anderson county.

My thoughts & prayers to these seven and their families.

[ladyinred]

May God be with the families, friends, and colleagues of the shuttle crew.
RIP.

[ken in texas]

I still can't believe it.

We had just come in from watching the shuttle pass overhead, and I realize now that what we saw was the craft breaking up. About 30-45 seconds after we came in into the house we heard one or two loud booms. My first thought was that a transformer in one of the neighborhood's electrical boxes had blown up... that's happened before and it will rattle the garage door a bit. I've seen the shuttle's approach before over North Texas and have never heard a sonic boom - it's just too high... it couldn't have been the shuttle. But at 8:15, when NASA TV was long overdue to show the landing approach, we just knew that something was wrong.

As Columbia passed overhead, we saw it get shredded by unimaginable forces. It was falling like a rock, out of control. Yesterday was a tough day.

[MeekOneGOP]

That was quite a boom alright. I didn't hear until this morning that some folks had to be treated when they handled some of the debris. Saw that on a couple of threads.

Palestine and Nacogdoches had a lot of debris. I have an aunt and uncle that live in Flynt, just down the road from Palestine. My uncle fishes all the time at Lake Palestine.

Glad ya'll didn't get 'rained on' by the debris...

[MeekOneGOP]

Yes it was a difficult day, wasn't it? Thanks...

[MeekOneGOP]

If this guy actually talks like this, I'm a red hen. It's okay, until we get to the part I've bolded.

Yeah, he sounds like a regular Chicken Little, doesn't he?, lol !...

[MeekOneGOP]

Sort of...

[dtel]

It is really hard to believe something cruising through the air, 40 miles above earth, could actually make the ground shake.
It seemed like an earthquake was occuring.
Do you know if the boom was a sonic boom or an explosion?
It seemed more like an explosion to me. I have heard several sonic booms and this did not seem like a normal sonic boom.

[dtel]

Actually, I just saw the video again and there is a definite explosion as it is breaking apart.
That must be the boom I heard.

[McLynnan]

Thanks, now I know I didn't imagine reports of fire in Plano. It will be interesting to learn the cause.

[Xenalyte]

No earthquakes - east and south Texas doesn't get 'em, as far as I know, and I've been here for 34 years.

[MeekOneGOP]

I think that's right. I believe it was the explosion too.