Cary Dentist Experiences Downtown Atlanta Tornado

March 17, 2008 - ATLANTA, GEORGIA

What started out as a weekend full of lectures and exhibits, soon turned to a weekend of adventure for Dr. Bobbi Stanley, Cary Cosmetic Dentist, and her husband, Dr. Robert J. Stanley. The local dentist and her husband traveled to Atlanta on Thursday to attend the annual Hinman Dental Convention, which was being held at the World Congress building. Thursday and Friday were full of classes and information on the latest techniques and equipment in dentistry. Friday night, however, had more to offer.

Drs. Bobbi and Robert Stanley did not expect a tornado after returning from dinner to their room on the 60th floor of the Westin hotel in downtown Atlanta. Dr. Bobbi Stanley recalls, “A thunderstorm was roaring outside as we watched a movie. Suddenly, debris started flying past our window.” At first, the debris appeared to be tarpaper from local buildings, then larger items appeared. “The debris started spinning in a funnel-formation and we knew it was a tornado. Two by fours and other large objects were banging into our window and you could hear glass breaking in the hotel.”

Drs. Stanley ran down sixty flights of stairs to a conference room within the Westin hotel. Hotel staff provided blankets and water for a long night stay. “People were in their pajamas and bathrobes. Some people were without shoes and some men had no shirts.” It was apparent that hotel guest had run for safety as the tornado hit the hotel.

The Hinman Dental Convention that Dr. Bobbi Stanley and her husband attended was cancelled due to flooding of the World Congress Center. Although threatening weather presented itself in Atlanta again on Saturday, it was not accompanied by tornados.

Drs. Bobbi and Robert Stanley are happy to be back home in Cary, North Carolina with their four children. Dr. Bobbi Stanley said, “It was an adventure that I don’t care to experience ever again.”