Storm Winds, Hail, and.......Tornadoes!!!

        Right 'off the bat' let me thank the local 22 News WWLP for the photos I'm going to be sharing with you today of the storm and multiple tornadoes that just popped up out of no where in our area yesterday!! I wasn't thinking about taking pictures at the time, but I'm thankful that other people did. It was a harrowing evening! You can also look at some local video of the event HERE.

      I was oblivious to it all because I was watching the Tennis Channel all day. The Tennis Channel is not a local channel for us. So, I wasn't getting any weather updates in the crawl across the bottom of the screen...which we 'do' on local channels when there's some kind of local news or weather.

     What we 'did' get was a text message from hubby's brother. He was kinda frantic...if you can be frantic in a text message!...because he knew about a tornado touching down in the Springfield area, where their mom lives!! He said he couldn't get a hold of her!

    Hubby called his mom. She answered!...PHEW!...She was fine. She just missed the tornado though! She had been at work and decided to go home...walking! One of the the tornadoes hit on the street she walked home on!! But didn't come on her street!

     We turned the channel to the local news and WOW!!! They had LIVE footage of one of the tornadoes forming! It was swooping up water off of the side of the West Springfield area bridge. It was awe-inspiring to watch on the screen! (They have video of it on the news site I referenced above.)

    Let's just say though, that while it was pretty to look at....it was also scary! And the news people seemed to be as in awe as I was! Apparently no such tornado has touched down in our area since the 1950s sometime!!!  And these were POWERFUL tornadoes!!

       Not to mention that the tornadoes weren't the only thing produced by this storm! It was raining...pouring! The winds were howling. It was thundering and lightening...and HAILING!!!

    And as the storm went on, people were sharing bigger and bigger hailstones!

       Four people, so far, have lost their lives. There's remarkable damage...building roofs ripped off, houses sheered in half, tons of trees thrown everywhere, vehicles destroyed or flipped over...

     ...and people hurt as well. I hear that the local hospitals were packed last night. The governor declared a State of Emergency, and all of the schools are closed today. They're trying to get the roads and things cleared up and assess the complete damage...which they say will take a while. :-( 
       It happened right in the middle of 'rush hour' traffic! Some people were in their cars and had to watch the tornadoes' damage happening right before their eyes, coming from an eery yellow sky! 

 

      Now I know, from personal knowledge, that it's one thing to hear about 'other' people experiencing this kind of thing, versus it happening in 'your own' town and neighborhood! My dad called to tell me about friends and family who were, at the time he called, trying to assess and remove damage from their properties. But no one was physically hurt. I'm thankful for that, because it came REALLY close to where they live. 

    'Good Morning America' just came on and I see that our area made the world news! WOW! I'm gonna go and see if I missed anything....I hope you all have a better day than we did yesterday!!
    The poem I'm sharing again today is from a Tsunami a few years back...I'm feeling the emotions of this again today. :-(

Taken By A Wave

The Tsunami hit the land-
The southern Asian island home,
where vacationers and natives
used to sunbathe and beachcomb.

An earthquake, under water,
made the waves rise up so high
that those walking on the beach
just could not believe their eye.

The waves that always had a limit
as to just how far they'd  go
just kept coming-Farther-Farther,
with a never-ending flow.

People running for their lives;
Some surprised and could not run!
Homes and bodies floating by;
And when it all was said and done,

There were the eyes of the survivors,
The tears for those they could not save;
The parents looking for their children
at the edge of the wave.

The injured and the missing;
The disease and loss of life;
The unclean drinking water
and the anguish and the strife.

And as if all of this pain
wasn't  heartbreaking enough-
There were predators and looters
to steal the rest of their stuff.

But, just as an observer,
seeing images on the news
of the children-Oh, the children!
I know that this will leave a bruise.

A bruise upon their playfulness,
Their sense of safety-free from care;
A bruise upon their trusting nature,
that no longer will be there;

A bruise upon their hopefulness;
A bruise upon their being brave;
A bruise not even time can heal;
It all was taken by a wave.