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Originally posted by rogue06
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I've had several close calls with tornadoes over the years. That was the closest (literally passing within 20-30' of where I was laying[1] and hopefully my last experience.
As a small young child, while traveling on vacation, we rounded a hill and came across one in the middle of the road roughly half a mile away.
In my teens, I saw one come over a hill near where I lived but suddenly take a 90 degree turn to the left almost exactly a tenth of a mile away and head down another street. It destroyed a landmark tree (it split and then rejoined forming an eye of the needle) and wrecked a small tennis court's fence -- actually twisting it around so that it looked like a modern art sculpture. When my father came home from work, as he drove along the street he saw the damage increase the closer he got to home, but then stop at the top of the hill where it took the sharp left. He was quiet relieved (I'll note that there was nobody killed or seriously injured).
1. I had relatives staying at my place but I was working third shift and generally slept in until noon as a result. I got up a little early because of having guests and as I was coming down the stairs still a bit bleary-eyed, I heard the distinct sound of a train locomotive coming from upstairs (I grew up near a railroad line and know what a train sounds like). Instantly realizing that there were no train tracks running through my upstairs, I jumped the rest of the way down, grabbing the baluster as I landed and used it to swing/spin around and dive to the floor in the hall that went by the stairs. I yelled "Duck!" to anyone who was also in the condo as I covered my head literally a split instance before it struck.
It ripped off the siding and part of the roof as well as blowing out the windows on that side and blasting everything inside with muddy water and debris (mostly wood chips and pine needles). A few seconds later, it was over and I lifted my head to survey the damage. I watched as a comic strip I had cut out and put on the refrigerator slowly drifted down in front of me. Very surreal.
My reaction was literally to say out loud with a sneer "ya missed" as if I was acting like, is that the best you could do? Was that your best shot? Ever the tough guy
The reality is that while prior to that I barely paid attention to a tornado watch or even warning. Even when the sky had turned green. But now, I notice that I treat them with the respect they deserve.
Oh, and fortunately my relatives were hungry and didn't want to wait until I got up so they went out to catch some breakfast and weren't there when it struck.
As a
In my teens, I saw one come over a hill near where I lived but suddenly take a 90 degree turn to the left almost exactly a tenth of a mile away and head down another street. It destroyed a landmark tree (it split and then rejoined forming an eye of the needle) and wrecked a small tennis court's fence -- actually twisting it around so that it looked like a modern art sculpture. When my father came home from work, as he drove along the street he saw the damage increase the closer he got to home, but then stop at the top of the hill where it took the sharp left. He was quiet relieved (I'll note that there was nobody killed or seriously injured).
1. I had relatives staying at my place but I was working third shift and generally slept in until noon as a result. I got up a little early because of having guests and as I was coming down the stairs still a bit bleary-eyed, I heard the distinct sound of a train locomotive coming from upstairs (I grew up near a railroad line and know what a train sounds like). Instantly realizing that there were no train tracks running through my upstairs, I jumped the rest of the way down, grabbing the baluster as I landed and used it to swing/spin around and dive to the floor in the hall that went by the stairs. I yelled "Duck!" to anyone who was also in the condo as I covered my head literally a split instance before it struck.
It ripped off the siding and part of the roof as well as blowing out the windows on that side and blasting everything inside with muddy water and debris (mostly wood chips and pine needles). A few seconds later, it was over and I lifted my head to survey the damage. I watched as a comic strip I had cut out and put on the refrigerator slowly drifted down in front of me. Very surreal.
My reaction was literally to say out loud with a sneer "ya missed" as if I was acting like, is that the best you could do? Was that your best shot? Ever the tough guy
The reality is that while prior to that I barely paid attention to a tornado watch or even warning. Even when the sky had turned green. But now, I notice that I treat them with the respect they deserve.
Oh, and fortunately my relatives were hungry and didn't want to wait until I got up so they went out to catch some breakfast and weren't there when it struck.
....the sky turned green........ My father-in-law worked outside, all his life, and he has always said that when we are in for a severe storm or blizzard he knows, because he sees the sky turn green....
I've known very bad storms but our worst storms and snow falls are as nothing compared to what we see in many other countries. Our floods can be horrid, though.
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