Tornados

Skav 2008-06-13 07:01:55 ET Today is actually nice,sunny with a bit of a breeze. Wednesday started out nice. Then it got shitty real quick. At about 8ish, while watching TAPS.A tornado warning came across the screen for the town of Audobon(31 mi ne), and that a locomotive enroute to somewhere down south spotted a tornado 3 miles away from the tracks. At that point, we took our dinner and animals into the basement. 10 minutes later the tornado air sirens blared. 5-6 minutes of blaring! Usually it's only for about 30-45 seconds as a precautionary warning. While peering thru the basement windows, all I could see was white. White and the sound of hail and rain hitting the house. The lites flickered on and off for an hour. Things could be heard slapping the side of the house. My mind at this point wandered. Would I have a porch left? What about the second and third floors of the house? Then all I could think of was the safety of my lady and pets. So I ushered them into a basement room, with no windows, and paced around the basement, listening and searching for tell tale signs of damage. Winds were clocked at above 80mph. Just then a two tornados were spotted on radar 7 miles away. Fuck me I thought! This is it, were fucked!!! Luckily they verred towards the north of the county. Sparring us. Two hours later, we were outside checking for damage! None that I could. So today is about checking for property breaches!

excessivenoise 2008-06-13 07:03:57 ET I was reading about all the problems out there this morning and was wondering if you are ok. You answered that for me thanks. *big hug* Glad there was no damage and everyone is safe.

Skav 2008-06-14 05:07:16 ET Were okay. A few shingles here and there.And the random fish scale cedar siding from the 4 belt courses that adorn the house(a belt course is a pattern seen in Victorian houses, that are made up of decorative shaped shingles...ie:dragon scale,pointed,fish scale, squared, etc etc.They can vary in size from a few rows, to an entire side).Lost two exterior storm windows. And that's about the extent of the damage found so far. Still looking and inspecting. The sound of the air sirens reminded me of stories that my stepfather use to tell me as a kid. When he was a child growing up in the midlands of England, he would on occasion travel to London to visit relatives. This was during WW2. At that time period it wasn't uncommon for him to spend the nite in bomb shelters, huddled in the darkness with sirens blaring, the tell tale signs that bombing from German planes was about to commence.I understand how he must of felt during that portion of his life!!! Not knowing wheather the next sound beyond the siren, would be the sound and rumbling of the above structures collapsing in on him. Unerving if you have never experienced it. One of the few times in my life that I have been freaked out! That 3-4 minutes seems like hours.

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