Well. Gee. That was fun. Not. DH and I got home from work just minutes ahead of a major storm. As soon as we got the door open, we tuned all 3 TVs to the same channel, cranked up the volumes, and started preparing the bathroom for double occupancy. I keep all my girlie stuff in baskets so I can grab things easily–for convenience in the early mornings, and for ease in securing the bathroom to convert it to a tornado shelter. A couple of years ago during a tornado alarm, we got situated in the bathroom, then realized that my glass perfume bottles and other vanities potentially put us in a bad situation. Hence, the baskets.
This evening I threw the baskets into my office, and started grabbing supplies for the shelter–flashlights, matches, candles, first aid kit, raincoat, and of course, my purse and my tote bag. I grabbed pillows off the beds and stacked them outside the bathroom door. I had time to grab new batteries for my Sony TV receiver. I still had a little time, so I ran and exchanged my flippy pleat-bottomed skirt and hose for my jeans and clogs.
In the meantime, DH was performing his own tornado rituals, each of us managing to avoid a major collision in the hallway outside the staging area.
The rain started, and hail pounded on the roof and windows. DH and I took turns monitoring the TV and watching the rain/hail from the front door. We anxiously watched as the worst of the storm spawned tornadoes near where my grandchildren live. I tried to call their mother to make sure they were not stuck in traffic trying to get home. I couldn’t get a line out on my cell phone; the network was busy.
We realized that we were probably out of harm’s way and relaxed a bit. Though tornadoes could form anywhere in these circumstances, the problem area was south of us. I finally got through on the phone, and breathed a sign of relief to learn that everyone was ok. Our daughter lives north of us, so we anxiously tracked the storm again and talked to her on the phone. She and the kiddos were also safe, as was her DH who is on duty tonight. That was the end of Round 1.
We have been hearing for a couple of days that the weather would be extremely severe today. The forecasters sure nailed this one. We are under a storm watch until at least midnight. Lucky for us, conditions are ripe for storms to pop up anywhere and turn severe in a matter of minutes. The tornado siren for our neighborhood isn’t far away, so we have no problems hearing it when activated.
We may have a little hail damage, but I am so thankful that all our loved ones are safe. Not everyone can say that. There is much damage to property in the Fort Worth/Dallas area. Tractor trailers are thrown around like Legos, buildings and homes are severely damaged; a church is completely destroyed. And at least one person lost his life tonight. I am so sorry.
Hours later, the same storm, a long-lived super cell, marches on, continuing to wreak havoc, destroy property, and endanger lives. God help all in its path. Our phone is ringing as people check on us, and my bathroom remains in shelter mode till at least midnight tonight.
