2008: The Year of the Tornado
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What is with the weather this year… especially here in the Midwest? I have always loved storms. I’m the one who screams at the kids to get into the basement, while I run outside with my camera. However, last Friday night may have cured me of that for good. My 19 year old daughter and I decided to go play Bingo at the American Legion here in town. When we left, there was a “slight chance” of thunderstorms. About half an hour into the evening, the wind picked up so badly that the windows started shaking. Within seconds, we heard it.. and the steel door was ripped off the building. Ash and I were sitting only three tables away from the door. When it ended just a few minutes later and everyone headed home, there were downed limbs and power lines, and entire large trees littered the streets and yards. We passed a car that was crushed underneath a very large old Elm tree, and a house that had another Elm lying INSIDE the upstairs after having crashed through the roof. I was so shaken up, I didn’t stop shaking for an hour or so.
Even though the year is not quite half over, it’s already the deadliest year since 1998. I shudder to think how much worse it will get. Already, the death toll from tornadoes is 98 people, nearly 60% above the average over the past three years. We still have a lot of time left in the season, too.
I made my evening trek to the Weather channel online earlier, to see what’s in store for tomorrow. I had already heard we’re expecting more storms here in Central Indiana. More? What the hell? Less than an hour away, there are entire counties that are already disaster areas, due to the severe flooding. Last night on the news, they reported that in one area, the river was finally going to crest today… 18 feet above flood stage. No, that isn’t a typo. EIGHTEEN. FEET.
Anyway, I digress. As I was clicking links and reading about the forecast, I came across a different site with a story about the tornado outbreak. It reports that the 905 reported tornadoes through May 11 is far ahead of the total typically seen by this time of year. That was a month ago, folks. As of yesterday, Wikipedia is reporting the following:
As of June 10, 1,520 tornadoes have been reported in the United States (of which at least 762 have been confirmed), with 116 confirmed fatalities.
Yesterday, a tornado ripped through an Iowa Boy Scout camp, injuring several people and killing four. Like the one I experienced on Friday night, this one brewed out of nowhere very quickly, caused its destruction and left as fast as it came.
Do you know what to do and where to go in the case of severe weather? I urge you to talk with your family, and have a plan in place. If you have younger children, it’s a good idea to actually practice your emergency plan a few times. Everyone stay safe. This is only the beginning.
2 Comments
webpenguin
June 12th, 2008
at 9:08am
When I was a kid in rural Iowa, we used to have a cave - a fruit / storm cellar. Looked like a tiny mountain with a door. I think permanent camp sites and mobile home parks all ought to have adequate storm shelters instead of relying on the “be prepared” motto. The boys reacted honorably like real men, but 4 are dead. I won’t send my kid to a camp without adequate shelter.
I remember once as a kid traveling from Centerville to Plano in a cool red Ford convertible. My mother told us kids to get on the floor while my step-dad drove like a bat out of H. There were huge trees falling all over the highway behind us.
My other tornado experience happened when we lived in a house with no shelter. We huddled in a corner of the living room while the windows all blew out of the house, trees flew by, and our brand new bikes were swooped away. We had just that morning gone to Chariton to trade in our trading stamps for the bikes. I was just out of 7th grade, and I have been terrified of storms since. It’s something I never got over. I was afraid if there was a tiny cloud in the sky for a couple of years. I probably needed some counseling!
spokenword
June 13th, 2008
at 11:59am
Yeah the weather is definetly gone CRAZY these days. Tornados, the floods in Iowa, and there was an earthquake in the midwest early this year, I mean there is NEVER earthquakes in Ilinois atleast. Things are getting pretty weird.