Tornadoes

I have been wary of tornadoes my whole life.  In 1979, a tornado took out parts of the south side of town where I lived.  My mother had thrown me in her 1974 Firebird and barreled down the street towards safety.  She quickly realized we were headed directly into the tornado.  I vaguely remember seeing dark clouds very low to the ground.  She turned left and continued racing.  There was a guy running down the street and she pulled up along side him as she had me roll down the window (electric locks).  She slowed down and he jumped in. Through the years, she would load Dallas and I up, and take us to shelter.  I've been under the courthouse, the Pippin's cellar across the street, the Wheeler's cellar by the old elementary school.  We have been in shelters filled with water, probably housing snakes and other critters.

Let's just say, I've always been in awe and also terrified of them.  So May 6th, 2015 at 5:08pm will forever be etched in my memory.  There is really no way to describe the sheer terror and helplessness I felt, as the winds picked up around me.  I had been calling my mother and father over and over checking where the weather was bad.  It was quickly realized by all of us, that I was in the direct path of tornado, and there was nothing I could do, but hold on.  I had mom on speaker phone, while I tried to record what was happening.  I keep a blanket in the truck for Willie, so I grabbed that and wrapped it around my head and shoulders.  I was parked up on an embankment, so I was certain my truck was going to flip.  Because of this, I fastened my seat belt.  I crouched as far down as I could in my seat.  My legs were up under the steering wheel, and I had my head down as low as I could keep it.  My hand was held up in the air to capture outside.  As it started, I can remember starting to cry and saying my "mom" over and over.  The winds grew more intense and you started to see things flying through the air.  My truck started moving up and down and side to side.  I said "no" and "mom" over and over.  Time stood still, it really did.  My brain could not wrap itself around the fact, that I was indeed going through a tornado.  It was terrifying.  I just wanted to be home where it was safe.  For about 5 minutes, this was my life.

There was a point during that 5 minutes, that I thought I would die, but there was also the realization, that this tornado was not a huge one and that everything would be ok.  Those two things probably didn't happen at the same time, but I don't remember where one thought began and the other ended.  It was just finally over.  Just like that, the winds subsided and everyone drove off.

Today is the first day I've taken a shower since this happened.  I've literally been in bed since I got home Wednesday night.  I've been through some hard things in my life, but never anything this scary.  My brain has reacted in a way, I'm not quite used to.  I'm going to go grab some groceries and then make myself clean the house and do some normal stuff.

 

When I was shooting the video, I didn't realize it was on time-lapse.  So the 5 minutes of terror I experienced, was taken down to a mere 19 seconds and there was no sound.  Probably for the best, because no one wants to hear my scared voice.  

The next time you hear tornado sirens, I'll probably already be tucked away in a shelter somewhere.