Tuesday, May 11, 2010

It's Springtime in Oklahoma!

Hi, Everyone!  I've missed you. I've been in the weirdest funk lately . . . not like my usual "just-don't-feel-like-blogging" funk, but really just a gigantic "oh-woe-is-me" funk. I mean, SERIOUSLY!! And, you know what? Today I really kicked myself in the butt for feeling this way. After riding out the storms here yesterday without a scratch or speck of damage and just some frayed nerves, I looked around at all the other unfortunate souls just a few miles from me who woke up this morning to complete devastation, and for some, the loss of their loved ones. And, once again, I am reminded of the many blessings I have, and I am ashamed that too often I take that for granted.

Yes, it was a wild and crazy afternoon, but we’re all present and accounted for. JC was working and unavailable, and Hunter and I were home. She was sick and home from school, so she had control of the remote and was watching something on Disney channel. Suddenly, we started hearing clunks of hail hitting the windows. We changed the TV to a local channel and discovered that all hell was breaking loose! At that point, even though it was sunny outside, the storms were all around us, so even if we’d wanted to take off in the car (which was Hunter’s suggestion), there really wasn’t anyplace to go. 

Right then, the weatherman announced that a tornado touched down in Yukon, which is the little ‘burb just west of OKC, and it’s where my sister lives. I tried calling her a number of times, but the phone lines were all jammed. Then, the tornado sirens started blaring, and the Greyhounds went crazy. About that time, as the hail was pounding the living daylights out of us, it was announced that a tornado was on the ground, crossing I-44 and Hwy 37, which is exactly 2.5 miles west of us. So, Hunter grabbed her bike helmet, flashlight, pillows, candles, and radio, and I grabbed the dogs, and we headed to the bathroom for safety. It seemed like an hour, but it was only 10-15 minutes! J

Sometime while we were in the bathroom, JC happened to call and asked what we were doing. I told him we were hunkered down in the bathroom because of the storm, and he was totally shocked. This was coming from the guy who actually works for our local NBC affiliate TV station and was at work while all this was going on!!! He had no clue all this was happening in south OKC!!  

Well, the tornado that touched down close to us had lifted back up and ferociously made its way on to the east, causing unbelievable destruction. As of now, there are at least 5 confirmed fatalities and still more people missing. During just a few hours, there was an outbreak of 30+ tornadoes. We've had a very mild spring, for Oklahoma standards, but Mother Nature made up for lost time in one day. 

My thoughts and prayers go out to the many families who were affected by the storms


7 comments:

  1. Keri, my oldest son is in OKC right now for work and this scared the socks off him. He's never been in anything like this before. (We had a tornado touch down in Utah a few years ago but wasn't anywhere very close to us.)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm so glad you and your family are okay. That had to have been pretty scary to go through. My thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected also.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ah yes, there's nothing like death and destruction to make you feel better about your life situation. I'm glad you all got through it safe and sound. Nice to hear from you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh Keri.. I just heard about all this on the news, and I'm so glad to hear you all are o.k.!! Thank God! ~tina

    ReplyDelete
  5. Glad to hear that you all are safe and sound. Sorry for the that has gone on around you though and for all the losses. It makes me stop and think, I take too much for granted. Thank you for sharing this and glad to have you back posting.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am so sorry. I am terrified of Tornados. I've never been in one, never been near one, only saw what they do on TV and that is enough for me. If we had a basement or some kind of a tornado shelter, that would be different, but we don't. I'd hav to do the bathroom thing like you too, but there are no guarantees with Tornados. They're so unpredictible. I bet you were really shaken.

    I'm glad you survived and I will pray for the victims as well.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Glad to hear you are okay. I've missed your postings. Glad to see you are back.

    ReplyDelete

Welcome to Greyt Balls of Yarn. Glad you stopped by for a visit. Feel free to leave a comment, so I will know you were here. Come back anytime!