Tornado Destruction... I cant beleive this!!

[daytonayellaz]

I cant beleive this!! Im sure we all know of the destruction caused by the numerous tornados Wednesday. I just got my Duaghter home from college safely this morning. She had tornandos touching down all around her at college..... I dont mean like multiple miles away either....Im talking 5 and less. Seeing a map online of the US with all the touch downs blew me away! They were on every side of her college. If any of you fathers read this...Im sure you will understand. I have never felt more helpless to take care of her in my life! I dont even know how to describe it..panic, horror, pain.... Now that she is home safely for the summer, Im releived!! But I sat her this morning thinking of all the people whos outcome were not as fortunate as ours. My heart goes out to them. And then I thought of all our members here! and you guys in the areas affected who I have sold motors to..... I dont know or have heard of any member affected yet, but lets all keep everyone affected in our prayers! I have one guy just south of chatanooga TN that I know there was a touchdown in the area that I can not get a hold of. Just stressed and needed to get it out.....

[Ron.in.SoCal]

Glad she's home safe Trav! Did you drive down and pick her up? Must've been a long night either way Bro...

[sunkistcamaro]

Im glad you daughter is home safe.
My heart goes out to the families that were not.

[Samckitt]

We had one here close a couple weeks ago, my daughter was loosing her mind. I did all I could to try to calm her down, but didn't work very well. Tore me up that I could not relieve her stress/anxiety from the storms. Then the other day going to work, after Alabama got hit, I was hit with deep sorry for all those affected by that. It is terrible. Travis, I'm glad she is home safe & you can relax somewhat.

[The Stickman]

Well said. I am not sure how how anyone could fathom or understand any of this. It was such a monumental moment. So many tornados, so many on the ground at one time. Some for unheard of distances. There were records set for number of tornados in a day, for the month, for any month, for time on the ground, and for distance traveled. All in one day. I so worried that someone here would be harmed. I had no idea so many would be hurt and to many would lose their lives..

[moreHP]

Looking at the damage those storms caused is just mind blowing. Its just about impossible to wrap your head around every single thing you had being gone like that. You just feel so helpless seeing those poor people. Best wishes to all who are affected by this.

[monteboy84]

If it snaps hot from this cold spring, I'm worried that this batch of touchdowns was merely a preview . . .

Glad to hear your daughter is safe and sound.

-matt

[srh3trinity]

I have seen it from the inside when I lived through an F5 and now I have seen it from the outside. The loss of life is hard to understand it. Also, when you lose your home, church, safety net and everything you hold dear on top of that loss of life, it is almost too much to handle. Our area bounced back in time, but I have thought about it almost every day for the last 13 years. This current storm hit about 2 miles west of where the storm I lived through hit, so the part of town that was spared last time was hit this time. Remember all of these people in your prayers. Travis, good to hear that she made it through safely.

[Kenova]

Tornadoes are a rare occurrence where I live, so it's not often we personally experience such destruction. To watch the news and see entire communities that look to have been fed through a wood chipper makes me realize how fortunate we are in this part of the world. Heart felt condolences go out to those who have lost loved ones and homes.
Of all natural disasters, tornadoes have to be the most frightening. They seem to appear without warning and it is difficult to find a safe place to ride out such a storm.

Ken

[Rick K]

we had a couple tornadoes last year down here in the very southern Ontario,very rare and scary. But man, you southern folks have it rough,sorry for any losses. Hope no one goes through that hell again. My wife's company opened a new plastics plant down in Alabama and had two guys up here for training. They left in a hurry last night to be with their families.For me, I'd rather shovel snow than shovel through what's left of my house.

[LeighP]

Given these things seem to be a regular seasonal event, I'm kind of surprised people in tornado areas don't build concrete bunkers to live in....I know I would feel better with a couple of feet of reo-filled concrete over my head.
Glad you guys rode these out OK.

[MrQuick]

best of luck to you guys out there. Hunker down.

[Off Duty]

Looking at the damage those storms caused is just mind blowing. Its just about impossible to wrap your head around every single thing you had being gone like that. You just feel so helpless seeing those poor people. Best wishes to all who are affected by this.

Amen.
I've worked several tornado and hurricane aftermaths in my 30 years as a LEO.
Andrew, was one of the worst before Katrina.
It's never easy to do.
To see the people, and as you said, the "things" that they held dear, lost or destroyed in seconds:(

Then again, it's touching to see the faith and humanity come forward from both those affected and those wanting to assist.
While devastated, they are still able and willing to thank God for their safety, and reach out to others not so fortunate.
You see total strangers, and people who you'd otherwise possibly think twice about, jumping in to help.

It brings back some faith in humanity.


If it snaps hot from this cold spring, I'm worried that this batch of touchdowns was merely a preview . . .

Glad to hear your daughter is safe and sound.

-matt

Absolutely!
Good to hear that your daughter is safe and home for now.
My daughter and 5 year old granddaughter are in NC for a week. Fortunately, they are near Fayetteville and not near the effected areas, but I won't say I wasn't concerned!

My cousin and her family, are in Huntsville.

Members of our SAR team, along with members from two (2) others, are deploying to the effected areas this morning (they've already left).
Our unit is taking one of the tracked amphibs (we're a marine rescue organization) and a couple of ATV's, and I think some of the ground teams may be taking some cadaver dogs:(.
The other team is providing logistics support to those on the ground (food/water/shelter, etc) and to those affected by the storms.

These are all volunteer teams made up of mostly active and former law enforcement, fire rescue, and military personnel.
We'll be rotating out frequently, since most of us have jobs and businesses we have to get back to.
As always, looking forward to helping, not looking forward to the seeing the devastation:(

Really happy your daughter is ok.
Hug her, tell her how much you care, and love her.

Take care.

[daytonayellaz]

Thanks Gordon and everyone else!! I have to start building my new house soon...going to put a basement under it. We dont have one now and when we had a good scare here in Indiana a couple weeks ago I had to grab my family and run to the neighbors basement. Gordon....its men and woman like yourselves and all the others who jump in selflessly to aid our brothers and sisters. Thank you for your hard work!! It does not go unnoticed!

[KUSI]

Travis,
Glad you have your family close and safe now. Was your daughter at the University of Alabama? That area was hit even harder than we were in North Alabama. I have been through quite a few tornados and threats of tornados in my lifetime in this area but last Wednesday was by far the worse. The entire day was a threat and a reality that hit very close to home for some. My home and local area were spared but there was quite a bit of destruction all around within a few miles. A coworker of mine might have had his house damaged again after loosing his house in a similar tornado event of 1995. When we moved to North Alabama in the 70s the first thing we noticed about houses were that they didn't have basements in them. Little did we know that we were going to need them to survive. If it would have been possible I would have built a basement in my current home. That didn't happen but after telling my wife for years that we will be okay...last Wednesday might make even me doubt that a little. Build that basement if you can Travis and incorporate a safe room. If you never use it so what. If you ever do use it...well let's just not think about it.

Be safe and peace to all those out there helping in the relief efforts.

KUSI