Life in Tornado Alley
Tonight we spent part of the evening huddled in our fruit room in the basement--the only room with cement block walls and concrete overhead. With us was my brother Lowell who was on his way home from checking on his goats when a storm hit that was so ferocious that he sought refuge here instead of going on home. His family meanwhile was clustered together in the stairwell of their not-very-welcoming cellar with a new little kid that they rescued from the barnyard when the storm threatened. The ungrateful kid fouled their little hideaway before the wait was over.
We listened to weather reports while we waited. Strong rotation was observed at the intersection of Highways K14 and US50, about 4 miles SW of us. A bit later more of the same occurred at Centennial and 4th St., NW of us. En route from point one to point two it would have passed over Lowell's farm. At 40-50 MPH, this storm skipped across other populated areas of our county, most notably the city of Hutchinson (pop. about 50,000). Apparently it exited the area without ever touching the ground. Tornado sirens sounded in every town.
My parents joined others from the city of Partridge in the storm shelter in the basement at the big gym at the grade school. I haven't been down there since showers after PE class in high school.
The severe weather pattern we're in will likely continue for several more days. It began two days ago, on Friday, when an F5 tornado virtually obliterated the town of Greensburg (pop. 1500) about an hour and a half SW of here. A Mennonite church was destroyed there. This morning in church one of our members conveyed a plea he had received in a phone call from a friend in Greensburg for all Christians to pray for the people of the town. Rescuers are still searching under collapsed structures for bodies or survivors. In the confusion, it's impossible to account for everyone, since some residents fled to locations away from the designated shelters in nearby towns, and their whereabouts are not known to emergency personnel. Ten people have died in the storms, and others suffered injuries, some critical.
One of the only structures left standing in Greensburg was the town's only bar. I think it would have been more fitting if a church had survived. What was God thinking?
I don't know anyone who has lived in Kansas for any length of time that has the casual view of tornadoes that Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz seems to have had. For her it seemed a rather convenient way to be transported from one place to another. Although ridiculously daring or dutiful people always hurry out to watch the excitement and keep tabs on what's happening, most sensible Kansans hurry to their basements when the clouds threaten and the sirens sound. Almost everyone has seen tornado damage firsthand, and many of us have seen funnel clouds.
Every time we get a tornado warning I wonder helplessly what to take along to the basement with me. What things would matter to me if everything else were destroyed? Usually we take only candles, matches, flashlights, and chairs. Tonight we had a weather radio, and the boys each had their cell phones. I did make sure I was fully dressed and had my glasses on and my tennis shoes in hand. I thought I would feel really destitute if I had to face life after a tornado without shoes and glasses. Nothing else feels nearly as important though as making sure every family member is in a safe place. Clarifying priorities is one of the things tornadoes do best.
The wind is soft again, the thunder has died away, and no harsh light stabs the darkness now. I think after I check the weather report one more time, I'll go to bed and sleep well in the care of a loving Father Who never abandons His people, even when tornadoes intrude on the beauty and order of God's creation.
We listened to weather reports while we waited. Strong rotation was observed at the intersection of Highways K14 and US50, about 4 miles SW of us. A bit later more of the same occurred at Centennial and 4th St., NW of us. En route from point one to point two it would have passed over Lowell's farm. At 40-50 MPH, this storm skipped across other populated areas of our county, most notably the city of Hutchinson (pop. about 50,000). Apparently it exited the area without ever touching the ground. Tornado sirens sounded in every town.
My parents joined others from the city of Partridge in the storm shelter in the basement at the big gym at the grade school. I haven't been down there since showers after PE class in high school.
The severe weather pattern we're in will likely continue for several more days. It began two days ago, on Friday, when an F5 tornado virtually obliterated the town of Greensburg (pop. 1500) about an hour and a half SW of here. A Mennonite church was destroyed there. This morning in church one of our members conveyed a plea he had received in a phone call from a friend in Greensburg for all Christians to pray for the people of the town. Rescuers are still searching under collapsed structures for bodies or survivors. In the confusion, it's impossible to account for everyone, since some residents fled to locations away from the designated shelters in nearby towns, and their whereabouts are not known to emergency personnel. Ten people have died in the storms, and others suffered injuries, some critical.
One of the only structures left standing in Greensburg was the town's only bar. I think it would have been more fitting if a church had survived. What was God thinking?
I don't know anyone who has lived in Kansas for any length of time that has the casual view of tornadoes that Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz seems to have had. For her it seemed a rather convenient way to be transported from one place to another. Although ridiculously daring or dutiful people always hurry out to watch the excitement and keep tabs on what's happening, most sensible Kansans hurry to their basements when the clouds threaten and the sirens sound. Almost everyone has seen tornado damage firsthand, and many of us have seen funnel clouds.
Every time we get a tornado warning I wonder helplessly what to take along to the basement with me. What things would matter to me if everything else were destroyed? Usually we take only candles, matches, flashlights, and chairs. Tonight we had a weather radio, and the boys each had their cell phones. I did make sure I was fully dressed and had my glasses on and my tennis shoes in hand. I thought I would feel really destitute if I had to face life after a tornado without shoes and glasses. Nothing else feels nearly as important though as making sure every family member is in a safe place. Clarifying priorities is one of the things tornadoes do best.
The wind is soft again, the thunder has died away, and no harsh light stabs the darkness now. I think after I check the weather report one more time, I'll go to bed and sleep well in the care of a loving Father Who never abandons His people, even when tornadoes intrude on the beauty and order of God's creation.
posted by Mrs. I at
8:34 PM
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