Tornadoes, Storms

Glad folks are checking in and reporting.
Elaine, you have tremors every day? I'd be a mess if I lived up there! I was so surprised the Alaska big-one traveled and affected places a thousand miles away...just out of curiosity, did it affect ya'll in Canada?

At this point folks, we are just into severe storm warnings, no threat of high winds/tornadoes. I'm sitting here glassy-eyed from being up all nite. Some years back, and it was in November(!) we were hit by a tornado...altho we didn't lose everything it has made me a "weather watcher" even more than I was before it hit!
I feel for the folks who have been hit by these storms...it'll really do a number on you.

Sorry to hear of the raging weather that some of you folks are suffering, and it's good to know so many of our Dave's Gardeners are OK. I hadn't heard about the magnitude of the tornados until Dennis called me from his Toyo service calls. I haven't had the TV on this morning. It's noon here.

I used to live in northern Indiana, and I recall back in the 50's, 60's, and early 70's getting those tornado "watch" announcements on the radio & TV. We'd all keep an ear open for the upgrade to "warning" before heading for shelter.

As I recall it usually got quiet outside, and the ozone would fill your nostrils... it was strange and fascinating. Most of the time, we were untouched, and once in awhile a tree would be uprooted, but nothing like this! Tornados cease to be "fascinating" when your home and family are in the path.

It's been a heck of a year for weather, and we've had our share this fall, but we're so thinly populated that most folks in the lower 48 don't notice. Floods on the Kenai Peninsula forced many folks to evacuate their homes, and some stretches of road washed out. Then the 7.9 earthquake hit 90 miles south of Fairbanks.

I'm going to keep watching this thread, and all the folks down in tornado country are in my thoughts and prayers.

Weez, I'm from Indiana, too, and I well remember those scary nights listening to the siren and huddling in the basement -- the skies got very yellow. To this day, a yellow sky makes me feel queasy.

Sorry kids, I had computer problems from noon until just now. We are all fine here. We had lots of wind and lightning and a bit of rain, but all is well. Yes, I did work last night and unfortunatlely I have had no sleep. Guess I am going to try to catch a nap and head back into work tonight. Thanks for thinking of me. Hugs and love to all.
Michele

So good to hear you're okay, Michele.

Fine here, Thankfully. We must have been just on the edge of the storm... and a mere 60-70 miles from the big damage in TN.

I did hear one very, very long thunder-roll about 4-5 AM... Actually, I felt it more that heard it. I thought we might be having an earthquake because everything was vibrating so much for so long. I don't think I have ever heard a single thunder roll last that long.

Vic would have been in the Path also. Anyone see her post today?

I'm here and ok. Just plugged my computer back in. We had high winds, lightening, and thunder all night long. Sheesh, doesn't make for a good night's sleep. I just can't believe all the damage and destruction. Unbelievable. We have friends in VanWert OH but haven't been able to get through. I hope they are ok, there were several deaths and damage there. Glad to see everyone here is ok.

And we're soooooo glad to see y'all too!!

"eyes"

Sorry I was absent all day; we are OK here in central OH. Van Wert got it very bad yesterday. Praying for everyone there. We had severe thunderstorms, a middle school about 200 yards away got struck by lightning but no significant damage other than power.

Gardenwife, you make it OK? And Naturegal? Hibiscus? Lots of us from OH that were hit hard.

Darius, Lupine and Vic, so glad you are okay. Praying for all the souls in Van Wert (and everywhere people were killed in these storms).

I've been watching this thread today, praying while I watch as more and more check in. I hope all is well with everyone and am SO glad for everyone who's escaped unscathed.

My wife and I are so distressed to hear of the ferocity of the storms, loss of life, the injuries, the loss of homes. We are praying for everyone affected.

God's love be with you.

Adam.

I posted this on the prayer forum, but in case someone misses it, Imaseedpicker in Alabama has responded to my email and is fine.

Wonderful news, Aimee.

I'm glad everyone, so far, is ok. I'm glad we have a family here to check in on and be checked in on. :)

My husband now understands that if anything happens to me, he needs to notify all of you. He doesn't understand our relationships exactly, but he knows how I feel about all of you.

Hey, Carla, I don't understand our relationships, either! But I do know there is a special quality to them, and one which enriches many lives. I agree, it's great to have this place to run to when anything happens, good or bad. There is always someone here to care about us. One site I visited for a while had a monitored message board, and if a member was feeling down they could go there 24/7 and people would be notified to join them and help them through the rough times. It was for parents who had lost children, but there were even people there who had never had children. This is the closest thing I have found to that, and we have more variety of forums, so this is like a well loved neighbor who always has the coffee pot ready.

What a wonderful way of putting it, Aimee!

Nice analogy, Aimee:..."like a well loved neighbor who always has the coffee pot ready."

I watched the evening news tonight, and I saw the some of the damage and short interview clips. These folks were wandering around the rubble with that look on their faces that all people have at a time like that. Every time something like this happens, every time tragedy touches our lives, it is like walking face first into "reality".

We are so busy with our everyday lives that we forget the potential for violence, for loss, for fear. Perhaps the scary moments in some way serve to let us know that all the other days are gifts and we should appreciate them.

They also afford an opportunity for us to really see how much others care for us and step up to offer comfort and assistance. You always have to pull a good thing out of a bad thing... or it's just a bad thing.

I haven't made time lately but I had to check and make sure everyone was alright and I'm so relieved to hear we're all safe.

Smiln32 have you heard from Teresa?

OMG! 72 tornados total!! I just heard that on a newsbreak here. Oh, dear Lord! Thank you that there weren't more killed!!

We are so busy with our everyday lives that we forget the potential for violence, for loss, for fear. Perhaps the scary moments in some way serve to let us know that all the other days are gifts and we should appreciate them. Too true. When I did my time as an EMT, I quietly listened while my compatriots down-talked the people who gawked at an accident scene. Yes, I was guilty at times of criticising those people, too ~ but now I try to realize that we are so well-insulated from the inevitable "That could be me" that it's quite a shock when it invades your little world. I am so thankful for everyone of our members who are still here, unmarked by this tragedy.

What a beautiful way of putting it, Wingnut -- and Weez, too. We are so fortunate, simply to be able to sit at our computers, communicating and caring -- something hardship teaches us not to take for granted.

my family in AL are ok! Alot of minor damage around them. Shoe I can relate i lived through a June tornado the yr we moved in here-my favorite tree in the front yard came through the living room window,ever since this tornado-everytime the winds blow over 50mph im up and watching the skies.
Im so glad to see that so many people from daves are SAFE!
it was devestating!

So glad your family is safe, Notmartha.

Phew! Must have been such a relief Dori - great news!!

Vic, have you heard from your friends in Van Wert?

And did y'all hear about the theater manager there? A real hero. He heard the tornado was coming, got all the patrons into the restrooms, and there was room for everyone but him. He got a very minor injury, but saved hundreds of lives; the theater was completely destroyed by a car thrown through it by the tornado. A true hero.

I watched the news last night and had no idea
of the extent of all of the severe weather.
'Glad to hear that all "DGers" are okay,
and am praying for everyone affected by these storms.

We have had severe damage right in our area, but even though I have six relatives within a ten block area in Fostoria our family members and homes are OK. I work at one of the hospitals that was hit and it has been a rough couple of days!
If any of you saw the picture of the funnel cloud on the ground in Tiffin taken by Allen Deitrich that appeared in the USA Today and the Toledo Blade( I understand it was also in the Boston and New York papers) it was taken 1/2 block from my house-yet my small greenhouse wasn't touched- pretty scary!
The fact that there was only one fatality in our immediate area was nothing short of a miracle- with the timing of the storm the high school next to the hospital was empty( had the roof ripped off and severe damage to interior of classrooms- my alma mater, it made me cry to see it), and the areas of the hospital( where I've worked for 20 yrs.) most severely hit- the surgical suite, chemo therapy unit, boardroom, medical records( my area) were all empty and, thank God, we had discharged our last mom and baby earlier that day so that department was empty too!(These were the areas that took a direct hit.)Structures can be replaced- people can't.
Hug your family and friends- they are the only thing that really matters.

Bless your heart, mwhit. Good to know you and yours are safe. It sure does rearrange a person's priorities...or at least remind you what they are!

Amen, mwhit. So glad that you and your loved ones are fine.

oh, mwhit, we live just north of Bowling Green and watched the radar on ch 13 and prayed as the storms headed east, it really was terrifying I can't imagine how you must have felt. I do give our local news alot of credit though, they really seemed to pick up on this quickly enough to alert everyone. I'm glad you and your family are alright.