Tornado update
Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2011 2:19 pm
First of all, the good news.
I am safe, and my family is safe.
Our homes still exist, as homes.
And, well, I guess that's about it, for the good news.
As some of you may have heard, Tuscaloosa has been devastated by a tornado.
At approximately 5 p.m. yesterday afternoon, a tornado that you will never convince me was anything less than an F5 tore through rush-hour traffic, including a road that, at one time, was rated the busiest road in America. We watched on live tv yesterday, as the tornado approached. It was miles away, yet still filled the screen. We could see chunks of debris in the air, and when you realized just how far away that tornado was, and you sill saw the debris, you understood that you were seeing houses fall from the sky. The only way I could describe it was like some mad special effects sci-fi movie. Hammer of God.
This monster didn't rise and then drop again; it travelled from Mississippi to Georgia, on the ground. One tornado. Guys, I'm over 50, and I've lived my whole life in tornado country, but I'd never seen anything like that.
They're saying right now that 37 are dead in Tuscaloosa, and about 150 dead in Alabama, but I've heard from people in a position to know that the number is much higher, and they're afraid to release the true figures right now. I do know that WHAT I'M NOT HEARING is the number of missing, so I fully expect the toll to rise dramatically.
Now I know that some people might look at us in the South and think that if we spent the money on a better warning system, we could have saved some lives, but because we're poor & backwards down here, this is the result. But, guys, I'm here to tell you we have an EXCELLENT early warning system here and it saved my life.
Normally, my wife & I travel to work together. She gets off work at 4:45 and pick me up at 5. Yesterday, knowing the need for a flexible schedule, we drove in separate cars. Our business closed up at 3 yesterday, and I came home early. My wife also left early & came home. I work in Alberta, a community that doesn't mean anything to any of you, but it does the folks here in Tuscaloosa.
You see, Alberta doesn't exist today. It's fuckin' gone. And my wife would have been picking me up, just as that bad boy descended on my town.
Um, let's see...I have power, but two of the town's six water towers were destroyed, so we've been warned we may lose water. Gas is gone. I have no tv, no phone, no cell, no internet (I've managed to scarf a wi-fi connection at McDonalds). I've been told that Comcast--our tv/phone/internet provider--was leveled last night, but I can't confirm that. So my ability to monitor my site & forum is rather restricted right now, but I am confident that we remain in good hands, because I've got good Directors helping us out.
And I've lost my job, because there's no business left to go back to.
But as I've said, I have my life, my family, my safety & health, and my home. I am fortunate.
But keep my town in your prayers tonight, ok?
I am safe, and my family is safe.
Our homes still exist, as homes.
And, well, I guess that's about it, for the good news.
As some of you may have heard, Tuscaloosa has been devastated by a tornado.
At approximately 5 p.m. yesterday afternoon, a tornado that you will never convince me was anything less than an F5 tore through rush-hour traffic, including a road that, at one time, was rated the busiest road in America. We watched on live tv yesterday, as the tornado approached. It was miles away, yet still filled the screen. We could see chunks of debris in the air, and when you realized just how far away that tornado was, and you sill saw the debris, you understood that you were seeing houses fall from the sky. The only way I could describe it was like some mad special effects sci-fi movie. Hammer of God.
This monster didn't rise and then drop again; it travelled from Mississippi to Georgia, on the ground. One tornado. Guys, I'm over 50, and I've lived my whole life in tornado country, but I'd never seen anything like that.
They're saying right now that 37 are dead in Tuscaloosa, and about 150 dead in Alabama, but I've heard from people in a position to know that the number is much higher, and they're afraid to release the true figures right now. I do know that WHAT I'M NOT HEARING is the number of missing, so I fully expect the toll to rise dramatically.
Now I know that some people might look at us in the South and think that if we spent the money on a better warning system, we could have saved some lives, but because we're poor & backwards down here, this is the result. But, guys, I'm here to tell you we have an EXCELLENT early warning system here and it saved my life.
Normally, my wife & I travel to work together. She gets off work at 4:45 and pick me up at 5. Yesterday, knowing the need for a flexible schedule, we drove in separate cars. Our business closed up at 3 yesterday, and I came home early. My wife also left early & came home. I work in Alberta, a community that doesn't mean anything to any of you, but it does the folks here in Tuscaloosa.
You see, Alberta doesn't exist today. It's fuckin' gone. And my wife would have been picking me up, just as that bad boy descended on my town.
Um, let's see...I have power, but two of the town's six water towers were destroyed, so we've been warned we may lose water. Gas is gone. I have no tv, no phone, no cell, no internet (I've managed to scarf a wi-fi connection at McDonalds). I've been told that Comcast--our tv/phone/internet provider--was leveled last night, but I can't confirm that. So my ability to monitor my site & forum is rather restricted right now, but I am confident that we remain in good hands, because I've got good Directors helping us out.
And I've lost my job, because there's no business left to go back to.
But as I've said, I have my life, my family, my safety & health, and my home. I am fortunate.
But keep my town in your prayers tonight, ok?