Pop quiz, hot shot. You hear a tornado siren blaring from the comfort of your apartment. What do you do?
Moving to Oklahoma has meant 10 months of adjustments, but I finally got my first tornado experience. It's estimated that 10 tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma last night.
Ten. Tornadoes.After the tornado siren at the police station across the street first went off, I realized that now was not the best time to catch up on the new Family Guy episode I missed.
I knew better. I mean, there was talk about tornadoes all day and I'd skipped the gym just for that purpose. Hey, someone's got to make sure my cat's food supply doesn't fly away.
But, a tornado siren carries with it a stern warning to pay attention and cease all animated programming.
There was a tornado reported two blocks away from my apartment complex but apparently it never touched ground. The rule of thumb is if the twister looks like it's two-thirds of the way to the ground, it's on the ground.
I never actually did engage in what our phalanx of meteorologists call "tornado precautions," though I probably should have.
That would have involved getting in my bathtub with a bunch of heavy pillows and blankets - and maybe a granola bar...it was dinner time after all - and/or trying to put as many walls between you and sheer, merciless death. Of course, living in an apartment, that would be about three walls at any given time. There's a reason trailer parks get hammered when tornadoes roll through.
But I did none of those precautions.
Instead, I put my cat in the bathroom - though most weaker tornadoes likely would have no effect against his moon-like mass - and watched from my back porch, sometimes inside the sliding door, sometimes out.
Probably not a great idea, but I survived.
Right now, there are five people reported dead and many others injured as the Norman area (where the University of Oklahoma is) in particular got slammed. Most of the real damage started south of the city and scraped across the state.
Today at work, I was told this was my "initiation." Nice. I didn't even need one of those frat boy paddles or anything.
I can't say I ever feared for my safety or anything like that, but it's much easier to joke about when it's not right in front of your face. There are many people now without homes and thousands without power.The forces of nature are nothing to mess with. It was pretty remarkable to watch. I think a lot of times we forget how destructive a force nature can be.
I was pretty lucky that a tornado didn't touch down nearby. I can't say what I would do if my apartment was hit. Maybe move back home? I'm not sure.
Either way, I'm crossing my fingers for the families that lost a hell of a lot more than I would have.
Check out a slideshow of images from News9.com.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
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1 comments:
I would blame your reaction to the tornado sirens on your parents if I were you. When we hear a thunderstorm at home in MA, we grab a glass of wine and go out on the porch to watch. Not good advise for Oklahomans though! This artical has gained you at least one more fan, as a coworker added you to her favorites.
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