Twister!

Few people, but far more than imagined with the increase of extreme weather, has had up close and personal experience with a killer storm, a tornado to be more specific. On April 16th 2011, a quiet Saturday afternoon, I had an experience of a lifetime with just such a storm. In no way will I say that my experience supersedes those who lost lives, homes and personal property, because I am counted with those who were only a near miss of the tornado that came through Sanford, NC. My sympathy goes out to the affect population and those in my immediate neighborhood.


I casually watched the news reports of a line of severe storms coming across the mid plains of America. Those news reports soon became background noise as weather caster after weather caster reported a large line of tornado spawning storms were headed east doing damage along the way. Even the morning of the 16th there were warnings to watch out for severe weather expected that day. It seems always in the back of your mind you think, “it’ll miss us for sure, maybe a little rain and wind, but nothing bad.” That was my thought. I was watching television when a fresh news flash warned again of storms headed our way. I took this warning a little more serious since it was local. I decided to stay at home to avoid the rain if nothing else. I looked out my window and saw the wind had picked up and trees were swaying a little more than usual, the sky had darkened only a little. I sat down in my favorite easy chair and tuned in to some television chatter when I noticed a strengthening of the storm. I was home alone with the exception of my little Yorkie, Bronco. My wife, Janice, was visiting her mother’s house about four miles away. When I noticed the storm picking up and trees bowing, I said to Bronco, “This might be more than we expected buddy”. Bronco is extremely afraid of storms; they give him a nervous condition. What was to follow could have given the bravest among us a nervous condition.

I began to hear an unfamiliar rumble in the distance, not like thunder or lightning, but of baffled wind. That’s when the reality of a possible tornado headed my way became a great concern. I am not easily panicked so I sat for a moment longer and said aloud to Bronco if the lights go out then it’s probably a tornado. I knew the proximity of the power lines and the direction I was hearing the rumble. I figured if it was a tornado those power lines failing would be a final notice to take cover. No sooner had the thought left my mind the electricity went off. I jumped up and grabbed Bronco. I looked out the back door to see if I could determine for sure if indeed it was a tornado. What I saw left no doubt. There was an extremely huge ferocious dark funnel cloud hovering just above ground level headed straight for my house. It looked as though it was moving slowly, but that’s because of the mere size of it, I would almost add it seemed to be moving divinely if not for the destruction and misery it was leaving behind.

This house was moved from it's foundation and the roof was carried off.

My up close and personal experience had begun. All the pre instructions that practically everybody knows came rushing into my mind as to what to do for safety. I knew I was supposed to go to the center of the house, get in a closet or bathroom, get down and cover my head. I thought clearly and plainly on what to do. I even had time to struggle with my inner self while the tornado approached. I took a step towards the interior of the house, and I took a step towards the door to look. I repeated that about twice. My urge to fully view this raving monster won out above common sense. With Bronco in my arms, because I had picked him up for safe keeping, I stepped out onto my deck and watched the tornado come across mine and my next door neighbor’s yard. It was the most alluring and mystifying sight to behold. I was having an out of body experience. It felt as though I could reach out and touch the fierce body of that tornado and I got the sense that it didn’t want to hurt me. I could see large debris swirling way up in it. Some debris looked as big as a car other was mostly tree limbs, leaves and paper. Much of it was unidentifiable. As it passed by I turned and ran through the house to the front door and stepped out onto my porch. I watched that tornado crossed over my neighbor’s house in front of me and headed down the street. I watched as it sat down on the ground a few hundred feet or so from me. Only when a tornado wants something does it take something. I saw huge pine trees snap like the proverbial twigs so often people describe as what they see in the aftermath. I saw it actually happening real time. A clump of trees would be wrung together and the tops removed like a person would hurriedly pluck a bouquet of flowers as a gift. Those tree tops would fly high into the air and come crashing down in the next yard. Some pines would become uprooted and fall conquered by the force of the twirling wind and lay on the ground uprooted like so many pick-up-sticks. Those were the trees that didn’t find a house to fall on or through. Many of those trees choose to fall into and across houses or on top and through automobiles. It was not a matter of this tornado using trees as an agent for damage. The twirling forceful wind actually picked houses up and moved them from their foundations. Several roof tops were carried off into different directions. I viewed this with only a little obstruction from the rain for the first few seconds and then a torrid period of rain lasted for a few minutes. I never heard the sound of a freight train like many people say they hear from a tornado. It sounded more like jet engines roaring at roof top level. Even through the roar of the tornado, the snapping of trees and the crackling of homes being destroyed,



Luckily no one was injured in this home



I cannot truly give an accurate account of the experience of being a victim of this tornado, because I was only an observer, it did no damage to my home. Only those with loved ones and homes lost could attempt to paint a more accurate picture and I’m sure they could not easily reveal the devastating pain of it. There was no loss of life in my immediate neighborhood, though it is a miracle that it was not. In the surrounding area where the tornado went, and where it came from, a few people were not as fortunate. There was a count of two lives lost and dozens of injuries in the area.



Our low count of lives lost from the damage done was given due credit to a heroic store manager at the local Lowes Hardware store. The same tornado that came across my yard went a couple of miles and totally demolished a Lowes store. Reports indicate the manager saw it coming and immediately warned staff and customers to take cover at the back of the store away from the front windows. There were approximately one hundred people in the store at the time. Miraculously no one was killed and only a few slightly hurt when the whole store was totally demolished leaving no roof or walls. President Barack Obama personally called to thank the store manager for his heroic action.















Lowes hardware store with 100 people inside when tornado struck, There were no deaths, only minor injuries.



On a brighter note, I can say our safety management personnel were swift and immediate in their response to this recent tragedy. Emergency personnel were on the job immediately ready to help survivors and injured. There was no shortage of ambulances and fire trucks passing by my door. The law enforcement agencies quickly accessed the situation and cordoned off the community for the night, and proceeding nights, to prevent the unfortunate practice of looting.