At around 1:15 the tornado sirens started blaring for the first time. I was pretty nervous because I was home alone and the weatherpeople kept saying to take cover now, etc. Watching their broadcasts turned my nervousness into extreme fear. They were showing several rotations coming straight for Starkville. The projected path was going straight for North Starkville. Now, I live in South Starkville so I was ok---BUT both Carlyn and Noelle were in schools in North Starkville. Sheer terror set in. Where is valium when you need it?
I called Dean (in Memphis--what could he do?) and was absolutely freaking out. I couldn't leave the house because I was scared of driving into a tornado. Dean told me to stay home and that he was sure the schools all had the students safe in the hall. I was also sure that the schools were probably madhouses with parents running up there to take their kids out.
I called Dean (in Memphis--what could he do?) and was absolutely freaking out. I couldn't leave the house because I was scared of driving into a tornado. Dean told me to stay home and that he was sure the schools all had the students safe in the hall. I was also sure that the schools were probably madhouses with parents running up there to take their kids out.
The tornado siren probably went off around 3 different times yesterday. I don't know why they were stopping and starting it because we were under a tornado warning for around 45 minutes. I had grabbed Fiesty (the cat) and hunkered down in the bathroom with lots of pillows. I also had my radio in the bathroom with me and tuned to WMSV (MSState's station). The announcement came on that there was a confirmed tornado sighted north of MSU's campus.
I continued to watch the Tupelo channel on TV (the Columbus channel was out) and they were reporting that Starkville was ok but Caledonia had been hit hard. Caledonia is just north of Columbus. My in-laws live in north Columbus (they called and were fine). The tornado hit an elementary school and high school in Caledonia. There was massive damage and destruction but no injuries to any student. The tornado even lifted a school bus and put it on the roof of the school. Can you imagine driving up to this school and seeing a bus on the roof?
A student at MSU snapped this picture with his cell phone. I believe he was in Hilbun Hall. The tornado was north of MSU campus.
Clear skies and cooler today. Thank goodness. My nerves can't take much more.
2 comments:
Yikes! I saw the pictures on CL.com. I'm glad y'all missed out on that kind of damage.
San,
I knew it was bad when my mother-in-law called from her hallway. She's never gotten worked up over weather before.
As a parent, I share the fear of knowing that your children are separated from you during these sorts of events. It's very unnerving. I remember sending Lorraine to Sudduth Elementary to retrieve Alexandrea on 9/11. While we knew that the likelihood of terrorists coming to Starkville was pretty low, it was the uncertainty of what would come next that made us feel that we needed to have our kids within our sight.
I love tornadoes and the adrenaline rush. I should be a storm chaser. Lorraine does not share my enthusiasm. Fortunately for her, tornadoes have little chance of hitting Fairhope. All the water to the south & west prevent them from becoming very strong. However, once they get a few miles inland, they can be quite nasty.
One day this summer, I went to a secluded beach down the Fort Morgan peninsula and watched four waterspouts form in the Gulf and move inland within a quarter mile of me in either direction over the course of about 30 minutes. It was AMAZING!
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