chuckears Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 As most of you probably don't know, I live in the Missouri Ozarks (for 34 of my 39 years)... I have become accustomed to the spring storms, and pay attention to the warnings when they come, but am not overly concerned by them, knowing that the odds of a tornado striking my family, or even someone close to us, are pretty well in our favor. We were lucky once again last night; as you may have heard, a near-record outbreak of tornadoes ripped through this area of the country, with devastating results in towns I have lived near most of my life; towns most of you have never heard of, but with their own small sense of history, and peopled with fine, hard-working families and individuals. (Even though the national news seems to always find the ones with the thickest hillbilly accents, and people who still think polyester is a pretty nifty and comfortable material, not all of us from this region speak like Jethro Bodine, and many who do are still fine members of their communities). Anyway, my story is as follows: My wife and daughter and I were dining at our favorite Mexican restaurant (sort of celebrating "Quatro de Mayo"); it had been cloudy and humid all day, with a prediction of storms for most of the weekend remaining (thus far) unfulfilled. I thought the rain was going to pass us up, since I have new grass that needs the moisture; I was mistaken. We stopped by a store on the way home; we were not listening to the radio, and no one in the store mentioned anything about the weather, but apparantly, by this time Kansas had been hit, and at least three Missouri towns west of us with which I was pretty familiar had already been devastated... one about 8 miles away from where I grew up. We had a few drops of rain on our way home; upon arriving, we planned to pop a DVD in the player and watch it until bedtime; but when I turned on the television, I stopped to notice the special storm coverage. By this time, sprinkles had begun to come a little harder, but I would not have called it a good rain yet. When I saw on the radar where the storm (they hadn't referred to it as a "supercell" yet) was located, and where it's probable track was, I thought we'd better delay starting the movie... the local meteorologists were pointing to the classic hook on the cell, now centered on a town about 20 miles southwest of us, and any of you who know about the paths these storms usually take, you will know why I told my daughter we probably would not be watching the movie. By the time I had taken the DVD out of the player, I noticed the radar showed the leading edge of the storm to already be very close to where we live. About this time, the sirens began going off, and it took a couple of minutes for the tv weather to let us know we should take cover; the rain was coming down harder, but there was no wind. All the trees in our neighborhood were perfectly straight in the air, with a nice hard rain spattering the driveway, and on that new grass. The warning sirens had prompted us to gather flashlights, our little financial folder,and a radio, and we began to clear out the only interior room in our house - a closet in which we store towels and a dirty clothes hamper. As we were calming my ten-year-old's fears, the sirens continued to blare, and I looked out the only west window in the house, and (the wind still calm) noticed the debris. It was one of the spookiest things I have ever seen: a collection of small leaves, twigs, and here and there larger pieces of wood, and other non-descript item just falling out of the sky; from how high up, it was impossible to tell. And still, no wind! This was when I told my wife and daughter they needed to get inside the closet. I began to follow suit, and it was about this time that the power went out, and the phone rang; the cordless not being functional with the power out, I had to take the call in a bedroom. It was a concerned relative; I reassured them that we were ok, but should probably not talk on the phone at this particular time. I looked out the window again to see more debris falling, and tried to see if I could spot a wall cloud, or even a funnel, but could only see gray sky, debris, and rain. Another phone call, another concerned relative, we were ok, they were ok, back to the closet. I decided to look out the west window once more, and saw clear sky opening up. This is when I did something you're not supposed to do... I went out the front door to get a better look. To my surprise, the sky was rapidly clearing, the rain abating, and I noticed several other people up and down our block walking around. My wife came out, and I had her call our daughter out so I could show her the debris. All together, we found two cancelled checks (remarkably intact; I guess they're made that way for just such an event), five separate kinds of insulation, including the foam-enclosed stuff they put around a house frame, a tattered child's school worksheet, a crushed beer can, many leaves small twigs, and the most amazing one you will not believe: a torn half-page from a book, the title of which was at the top of the page: "Gone With the Wind". We and the neighbors walked around in amazement for a while, feeling extremely fortunate, seeing the multi-colored and -layered bank of clouds receding away from us, revealing beautiful blue sky, as the sun was setting. Some began spraying the debris off their cars; none of us had power until some 3 hours later. It seems the worst part of the storm had passed only two miles to the south of us; a town about two and a half miles southwest of us was nearly flattened. There is no way of knowing where the debris came from; there are reports all over town of some coming from as far as 80 miles away; and some possibly from Kansas. Nearly everyone I work with had similar reports to mine, only one that I know of lost their house; but many whom I do not know were not so fortunate, as those of you who saw the news today are well aware. Driving to work this morning, I saw even larger pieces littered around town... mainly tin, with the largest reported item being a chunk of concrete eight feet wide. I still shake my head when I think of what that debris signifies; how many are having a terrible task ahead of them, all lucky to be alive. We also feel a little bit lucky this evening; pretty tired, but hopefully a little wiser... and yes, I will probably actually get in the closet next time. chuckears Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkrop Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 Can't stop mother nature! You are so lucky! Realize anything can happen anytime so cherish life! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sj993 Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 Man, no kidding talk about luck!!! Wow, living her in Oklahoma I know about the storm season and Tornado's fairly well but have never experienced one up close, the closest one I saw was about 10 miles away from us, but it was a scary sight nonetheless! Glad to see your alright and your house is still intact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 I know all to well what a tornado can do. Just last year, LaPlata, MD, only about 16 miles from where I work was nearly destroyed. I helped with some of the cleanup. The town was totally devestated. A KFC that I ate at once for lunch was completely destroyed. There are several people at my office that lived there. Than about 2 years ago, I went to Mrytle Beach on 4th of July weekend. Me and my friend where on the beach that one Friday. The sky was getting extremely dark and omninous looking. We both at the same time suggested to each other that it was time to go. Good thing we did because tornados touched down right along the strip there. I was out the next morning and the amount of debris strewn across the beach was incredible. There were three hotel towers with every window completely blown out. Smashed up cars where overturned in the parking lots. The backside of a restarount on the pier was completely torn off - you could look into the bar. The storms narrowly missed the little Family Kingdom amusement park. About 4 years ago, we had a small tornado touch down in my nieghborhood. Fortuntatly, the damage was pretty minor. Trees where knocked down. Siding was blown off of houses. I had to replace some shingles on my roof. A couple of traffic lights where knocked down on Rt 3. About 8 years or so ago, there was that tornado that touched down in Petersburg (just south of Richmond) that nearly destroyed a Walmart. Being in the National Guard at the time, we were deployed to help cleanup and to prevent people from looting the Walmart as well as the other busniess in the area that got wrecked. Amazing the damage those things can do. Hell, just a month ago, a funnel cloud was sighted here in my neighborhood - boy did that wind kick up! Holy cow! Fortunatly, it did not touch down. That was that one crazy weekend we had here were it was 80 degrees on the Saturday, and then Sunday - It was snowing to beat hell, with an inch already on the ground and more coming down! The temps dropped over 50 degrees during the night! Yes, you indeed were fortunate! Unfortunatly, there were many there in that area that where not. Tornados are truly a devestating act of nature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 Chuckears,good points about the locals,very sorry for affected families. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
space_cowboy Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 Glad you made out as well as you did. I live between Dallas and Ft. Worth and don't like this time of year because of the weather. I keep a flashlight, radio, bicycle helmet (don't laugh), and blankets handy, and can bail into an interior bathtub very quickly. It's not a good feeling when the sky is green and the sirens are going off. Take care... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 We're not in Tornado Alley like you are, but we here in central Florida can also experience tornados from time to time (we had a bad one rip through a mobile home park in Orlando several years back)! When I was 5, my dad was stationed at McDill Air Force Base in Tampa. Our living room window faced the Gulf of Mexico (only a mile or so away), and my mom spotted a few water spouts forming out in the water...luckily they never left the Gulf! Now hurricanes...that's another story! Thank the Good Lord you and your family escaped harm without a scratch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diggs Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 I live in Olathe, KS (SW of Kansas City) and we had several tornadoes hit the area. It was really weird, I was watching one of them as they tracked it just 15 miles north of us in the news chopper, and yet the sun was shining here at the exact same time. Really eerie. Only 1 death here in the city, but millions in damage. Whole neighborhoods got obliterated. Scary stuff. Glad to hear you made it out safe Chuckears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 space_cowboy, I know how you feel...I was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division, Ft. Hood near Killeen in '83, and also lived a short time in Grand Prairie (D/FW Metroplex), so I also know about those scarey green skies. Some of the worst thunderstorms I have ever seen have not been here in Florida, but also in Texas (I saw my first funnel cloud emmerge from the Texas clouds, only to do a complete 180 degrees and go back up into those same very nasty clouds, having never touched the ground)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_tx_16 Posted May 6, 2003 Share Posted May 6, 2003 i was in missouri dodging those things! it was an exciting drive to say the least! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtkinney Posted May 6, 2003 Share Posted May 6, 2003 Glad to hear you and everyone around you is ok. I lived in Northern Alabama for a number of years, and there the tornado's usually come at night with very little warning. Had one come through just before dark while still at work. I had a radio, so everyone was huddled around listening. They announced a tornado had touched down less than 10 miles away, and being college educated engineers, we ran strait to the nearest windows to look! A friend who lived about 15-20 miles NE of that spot had all of the debris raining down like you did, clothes, papers, etc. I only have one other question. How can you get good Mexican food in the Ozarks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted May 6, 2003 Share Posted May 6, 2003 Phew... You guys that live in tornado ally are brave. I just don't think I would like living there. We get earthquakes out here, but they are very few. I will take living in quake country over tornado country any day. Glad to hear that you and your family are ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenratboy Posted May 6, 2003 Share Posted May 6, 2003 Dude, you could have used your Klipsch's to blow away the storm!!! Glad you are OK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted May 6, 2003 Share Posted May 6, 2003 ---------------- On 5/6/2003 12:42:36 AM m00n wrote: Phew... You guys that live in tornado ally are brave. I just don't think I would like living there. We get earthquakes out here, but they are very few. I will take living in quake country over tornado country any day. ---------------- Hmmm. It seems that we also get earthquakes once in a while here to . Everybody was talking about the one yesterday. Gotta love Virginia - we seem to get it all here! Hurricanes, Tornados, Thunder and Lightening, Snowstorms/Blizzards, and now Quakes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted May 6, 2003 Share Posted May 6, 2003 Well, Stephen, at least you don't get sink holes that just open up with no warning and swallow houses and cars and trees, and later become new Florida lakes! Now that's also scarey when you think your home is on solid ground, and then the ground just comes apart...My grandmom's house escaped a sink hole that developed about 1000 yards from her little cottage behind her main house back in 1980...now there's trees growing out from it...weird! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myhamish Posted May 6, 2003 Share Posted May 6, 2003 We're glad you survived and our hearts go out to those for those lost. I was in Edmonton, Alberta on July 31, 1987 when the Force 5 tornado killed 28 people - cut a 200 yard wide swath from the south end right through to the north, only saving grace was it was on the very east end and seemed to follow the hydro lines and green belt. Wrecked my car. I was lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckears Posted May 6, 2003 Author Share Posted May 6, 2003 ---------------- On 5/6/2003 12:36:30 AM jtkinney wrote: I only have one other question. How can you get good Mexican food in the Ozarks?---------------- There are a lot of families in the area that have moved here from Mexico... many open up small restaurants, some with authentic cuisine, some of course catering to local tastes. The place we were eating that night was owned and run by what appears to be one family; they have the best chili rellenos I have ever eaten... I read a survey a few years ago that indicated that there are more restaurants for our population than any other city in the country. I recall a line from "When Harry Met Sally" about dining out being to people now what theater was to people in the sixties... that seems to hold true in our town, since going to the movies or shopping are about the only other form of entertainment... It seems to have worked well for me, since I have worked in two very high-volume restaurants here for the last 19 years... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckears Posted May 6, 2003 Author Share Posted May 6, 2003 ---------------- On 5/6/2003 12:42:36 AM m00n wrote: Phew... You guys that live in tornado ally are brave. I just don't think I would like living there. We get earthquakes out here, but they are very few. I will take living in quake country over tornado country any day. ---------------- mOOn, I am told that when the fault in New Madrid, Missouri ( about 300 miles from here) finally blows, most of the buildings in Memphis, TN, and many in St. Louis will be levelled... we are expected to lose bricks and suffer cracked foundations here in Springfield. Is there really any 365-day a year safe place to live? This is actually a pretty nice place to live; we have four distinct seasons to enjoy; many hills, trees, rivers, and lakes. We actually get touring Broadway plays at the local snob theater, have a symphony, local theater, and ballet. BB King is going to be here next week, but otherwise, the concerts are pretty thin. And even a local Klipsch dealer, to try and be on-topic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
georgie Posted May 6, 2003 Share Posted May 6, 2003 I live in Arkansas. I understand the tornado thing too. A few yaers ago we had a bad system of storms come through and dump a record breaking amount of tornadoes on the state. Lots of damage in the town where I live. A friends house was totaly destroyed... found her mustang sitting in the middle of where her living room had been. Her brother was in his truck when the tornado picked him up and conveniently wedged him between two pine trees. Amazingly he only had cuts and bruises. Then around 20 miles down the road almost the entire town of Arkadelphia was wiped out. I've had wonderful luck when it comes to tornadoes. I thank God for that. Glad to hear you and your family are safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted May 6, 2003 Share Posted May 6, 2003 ---------------- On 5/6/2003 8:37:23 AM georgie wrote: Her brother was in his truck when the tornado picked him up and conveniently wedged him between two pine trees. Amazingly he only had cuts and bruises. ---------------- Along with his messy drawers. Gawd-ol mighty. That would have to be a horrifying experiance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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