Published: Wednesday, 16th April, 2008 10:00
Tornado destroys ex-pat Bankie’s US home
By By Karen Power
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FAMILY: Dugie with daughter Kelly and son Kalvin
AN ex-pat Bankie had a lucky escape after his Arkansas home was destroyed by a tornado.
But what Dugie Conroy, formerly of Webster Street, Whitecrook, was most devastated about was being unable to keep up to date with the goings on in Clydebank through the Clydebank Post website.
Dugie, a juggernaut driver and a chef, moved to the USA in 1989 but keeps Clydebank close to his heart.
Dugie told the Post: “I like to keep up to date with what’s going on in the town and I visit the Clydebank Post website a lot — but now my house is gone, so has my internet.
“My roof is gone and the garden is all gone.
“I love my gardening so I hate to see it like that and my car looks like someone took a hammer to it.
“This is my third tornado, and I held out the first two alright but this one got me pretty good.
“There were hailstones the size of golf balls.
“When the sirens went off I went to the shelter — a secure building round the corner.
“My wife was in a restaurant, she was quite freaked out by it and they all had to get into the big freezer to shelter.
“We are getting back to normal now but the windows are still put out because we can’t find a glazer.
“About 5,000 homes were affected and lost most of the windows. They are having to call in glass workers from different states.
“If you can imagine, it would be like if all the windows were smashed in every house from Dalmuir to Whitecrook.”
Dugie’s previous encounter with a tornado was just six weeks ago while he was driving in Tennessee and he had to secure the juggernaut and seek shelter.
The 49-year-old also experienced a tornado while transporting Ferrari racing cars for his employer.
After his latest escape, Dugie’s mum Ann Conroy — who still lives in Whitecrook — said: “Dugie, it’s time you were home.”
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