Into the Storm

It began as a normal day, even if I was feeling a bit under the weather, not exactly sick but not too well.  While on the Internet I checked the weather, storms had been forecast and there it was on the local Doppler Radar, a rather large blob that seemed to get larger as it drew closer.  I told Karin and she said that she had also seen it heading right for us.  Then we heard a tornado reported on the ground in the county across the Mississippi.



So it began.
Karin got our emergency bags together (bags filled with the things we may need if we found ourselves trapped) and placed them by the door to the basement.  I went outside to check on the weather and saw the dark clouds on the horizon to the west, but the clouds above were moving north - not a good sign if the approaching storm was moving east.  Was this an early indication of rotation?  I'd almost been flattened by a tornado before and the idea of going through it again was not very high on my list of exciting things to do!
   I checked the Doppler Radar again, the storm was crossing the river the north and would soon be on us.  Again I went outside to check and the clouds were moving fast in the same direction as before.  Karin and I unplugged our computers and turned them off.  I then checked outside one more time, this time the clouds were moving east, the wind picked up and the rain - heavy rain began.  Suddenly the severe weather sirens went off as if we were in the middle of the London Blitz, so I returned indoors and took the bags down to the basement.  As I did so the lights went out, so I raced back up the stairs to grab my bike lamp so I could light the way for Karin.  Our neighbour from the apartment next door, who had been awakened by the sirens, joined us in the basement while the storm raged outside.  We could hear the wind, torrential rain and hail  hammer against the basement windows.  The only light was from my torch and a torch Karin had packed and we had to remain in the basement until the worse of the storm had passed.

Day into night into day.
The darkness passed, the storm passed and we were again in daylight, but the power was still out.  Karin put the things from the fridge into the freezer so that they wouldn't spoil while I used my cell phone to call in the power-outage.  With no coffee or way to heat the pot, I was beginning to climb the walls after a short while - then I would, wouldn't I?  I settled for Fudge Oreo's and a mug of water.  What do you do without power?  Easy! Watch a DVD on a battery powered laptop.




Welcome to tornado alley.
We didn't see it, we wouldn't have because it had been shrouded in rain.  An EF2 tornado with wind speeds of around 200mph had touched down near Cook St. and Miller St. moving roughly east toward K Mart.  The winds dissipated shortly after it had touched down and a police officer had been able to report it on the ground.  The warehouse for the Pepsi bottling plant had been destroyed, the roof of nearby apartments torn off, cars flipped or smashed by falling branches and the rooftops of other buildings damaged in a six block wide path that ran through the city for a mile and a half. Outside we found flooding, but when the rain stopped, I pulled a fallen tree branch from the drain and scooped up other debris to let the water drain away.  I was able to rescue our trash cans and replace them before going indoors.  The power was still off so we couldn't check on friends and we had no idea of the damage surrounding us.  After six hours the power was back on and we were hardly surprised to learn of the tornado and the damage done.

By the grace of God no one in La Crosse was injured, even though the Cafe next door to ABR Emloyment services had it's windows blown out.  Customers had been taken to the back of the Cafe, so again no one was hurt.  Only the week before the local hospitals had practiced for an emergency alert so they were already prepared for the worse.  Sever Weather alerts are often tested here and people know how to respond.  Of course the Red Cross, Catholic Charities and the Salvation Army are helping those in need of emergency shelter, food and cleaning equipment.

Over that weekend 68 tornadoes touched down with Joplin, MO, of course, was the worse hit.  In a sense we feel blessed, despite the damage inflicted on the city.  Keep the people of Joplin in your prayers and thoughts.