Walmart In Tennessee Barred People Fleeing Tornado

This Walmart in Columbia, Tennessee is accused of 
refusing to allow people inside to escape a 
nearby powerful tornado,. 

 Cody Frizzell and his fiance were driving around Columbia, Tennessee on May 8 when his mother called.  

There was a tornado warning, the mom said. You need to take shelter. 

Frizzell drove to a nearby Walmart, figuring they can run into the store and seek shelter in a protected place, such as a restroom without windows.

Then this happened, says television station WVLT:

"Frizzell said he and his fiance approached the store at 2200 Brookmeade Drive in Columbia where employees in blue Walmart vests were standing.

'One of the people stopped (his fiance) and said 'no you can't come in. There's a tornado warning. We're not letting anyone in.' Frizzell said. 'I said, 'Where are we supposed to go?' And she said, 'I don't care but you can't stay here.'"

Frizzell said other people who tried to enter Walmart were barred, too. A nearby store allowed Frizzell and the others to take shelter there. The tornado ultimately missed the shopping plaza where Walmart and the other store are located.

That tornado was dangerous. It was an EF-3 with winds of 140 mph. It killed one person, injured 4 and destroyed a number of homes and businesses. 

A Walmart isn't a great place to shelter from a tornado. Buildings with large free standing roofs and what are usually cinderblock walls can collapse fairly easily in a strong tornado. Still, if you shelter in, say, a windowless restroom in Walmart, that's much safer than being out in a vehicle.

Nobody at the Columbia, Tennessee Walmart would talk to the media, but the WVLT reached out to Walmart corporate who responded with a statement:

"The safety of our customers during weather events like what occurred recently in Columbia, TN is a priority. During the storm customers inside our store as well as other individuals who requested to enter were allowed to shelter in place. While we can't confirm who this individual spoke with, we do allow people to shelter in place inside our stores."

If that's Walmart's overall policy, good. But it needs to communicated pretty clearly to all its individual store. 

I suspect Walmart corporate did investigate or is investigating what happened at the Columbia Walmart, but I think someone there is lying or covering up for coworkers.

My conspiracy theory is Frizzell and others weren't allowed in because the Walmart employee somehow  thought that if anybody who entered who was ultimately injured would sue Walmart. They were potential liabilities.

But that thinking, if it happened, is absolutely appalling.  Did someone at the Columbia, Tennessee Walmart decide it was better that to have somebody die in a tornado instead of potentially saving their life over liability?

I'm sure glad the tornado missed that retail complex.