Well Friday started off as a normal day. It was very nice out side and I planned to take J out to play and work on a few pictures during his naptime. Daddy was going to be on his way home from St. Louis that morning so I planned to cook him a nice dinner. My friend called maybe around 10:30am to ask if Daddy checked the weather channel in case some of the bad weather was headed their way. I told her I would call him and check with him. He hadn't heard of any bad weather yet, and I fugured it was just some rain and thunderstorms. I heard a tornado siren going off shortly after speaking to my friend so I turned on the weather channel and saw the huge band of bad weather sitting over Jackson. A few weeks ago, the tornado sirens went off throughout our city and nothing happened, so I figured it was just sensitive and no big deal. No need to panic. I got J dressed and we went outside in the backyard to blow bubbles. I believe one of my dogs followed me out, but I can't recall at this point. We blew bubbles for not even an entire minute when all of a sudden the sky turned black on one side. It was very strange b/c one side was bright blue and the other was suddenly black. Then the sirens went of again, so I grabbed J and ran inside to look at the news. As soon as we got inside, the lights started to flicker then went out. This is when I got nervous and then the wind just started howling and the house started shaking. I grabbed J and ran to the bathroom, jumped in the tub and hovered over him as I listened to the scariest sounds I've ever heard in my life. The wind was blowing like a frieght train, I could hear things popping and flying against the house. Everytime the wind picked up I felt the pressure in my ears and the sound was louder and louder and I was freaking out crying, but at the same time telling my baby that it would be okay. I got my dad on the phone b/c honestly, I thought the roof was going to blow off and we would be in trouble. I seriously felt like this tornado was sitting on our house. My dad talked me through it, told me it shoudln't last long and to keep ducking down in the tub. Then the pressure was sucking the water from our pipes. This freaked me out b/c I thought water was coming into the house. It was pitch black, so I couldn't see a thing. I felt like I was having an anxiety attack. It only lasted for 5 minutes, but I swear it seemed like an eternity. Once the wind stopped, it started hailing HUGE golf ball hail. That lasted a few seconds and then calm and COLD!! It went from being 75 degrees to 55 degrees in all of 5 minutes. That is so scary!! Once I calmed myself down, I fixed Jayden a sandwich and sat him in his highchair b/c I didn't want him to know that something different was going on. At this point he remained oblivious. While he ate lunch I looked around to be sure no windows blew out and no water was coming in from the roof. Outside, I found the dog's kennel mangled, the fence knocked out on one side, and our garage door was either blown in or sucked in. I'm thinking sucked in b/c of the severe pressure I felt in my ears during the tornado. My car is stuck in the garage until an insurance adjuster comes out to view the property and get the door fixed. The electricity stayed out for most of the day but came back on just before sunset. My neighbor across the street checked on us often and some of Daddy's co workers stopped by to drop of lunch and a weather radio.
We drove around the city today and the scene reminds me of Katrina. It's really depressing to me. There are lots of blue tarps up all over, tree removal trucks on every single street, sight seers all in our subdivision, and several businesses are closed due to damage. Mother Nature can be so cruel. This was always the joke after we were relocated due to Hurricane Katrina. Everyone said, "You cannot run from Mother Nature. If it's not a hurricane, it'll be an earthquake, tsunami, or a tornado. Mother Nature will find you." That proved true for us yesterday. But if I am left with the choice in the matter, I say send me back to the coast!! I will take a hurricane anyday over a tornado. Hurricanes give warnings and I can run! I may lose material things, but I will definitely escape with my life. I didn't feel like I would yesterday and that is one scary feeling. Please keep those who were affected by this tornado in your prayers.
The dog's outdoor run was pulled up from the ground and mangled. Thank God I hadn't let them out like I usually do.
I can't believe the wind so easily twisted the metal that way!
Fences are knocked down all around the block
This is the house on the corner from us with pretty bad roof damage.
And this is located on the outside of our subdivision on the road where the tornado hit land.Look closely and you can see a house under those trees with the second story exposed :(
