Friday, May 2, 2008

Certainly Not Missing Twister Season

It's tornado season in Texas! Every Spring, I would tell Cary, "PLEASE get me out of North Texas before next Spring!!!" I lived in fear every day! We had SO MANY close calls with tornadoes when I lived in Dallas/Ft Worth. It seemed like the tornado sirens went off daily from Feb-June. I remember one scare in particular, which actually ended up being one of my most embarrassing moments. There was a twister in South Fort Worth moving our way. We lived in the North East side of Fort Worth at the time. We had a tornado closet under our stairs (which we used ALL THE TIME). That day, I gathered the pets and got in the closet. The weather man was tracking the storm and naming streets in the path of the twister. The streets were all very closeby. Cary stayed in the living room watching the T.V. until the dern satellite gave out due to the rain. Gotta love satellites during severe weather! So he came and got in the closet with me and the pets. I began praying. OUT LOUD! You know, so God could hear me real good and all! All the sudden, we heard THE NOISE that they always tell you to listen for. It sounded just like a freight train. I was trembling from my head to my toes. "DEAR JESUS, SAVE US! Oh Dear God, protect us!" I went on and on and on. I yelled at Cary, "PRAY!" And he yelled back, "I already did!" And I yelled, "PRAY HARDER! It's coming. I hear it. Oh sweet Jesus, save us!" I just about passed out! And the noise went on and on and on and on for what seemed like an eternity. "How long will it last?" I finally asked Cary. "It should have been over by now. Must be a big'un!" The walls were vibrating. The noise was still there. Finally, after several minutes, Cary said, "I'm going to open the door." "NO!!!!" I shouted. "We'll die!" He cracked open the door (because he never listens to me). Silence. The sun was peaking through the windows in the dining room. The rain had stopped. The wind was still. The T.V. was working again. "I'm confused. If that noise and vibration wasn't a twister, then what was it?" I asked. "The A/C!" We were under the stairway right next to the A/C unit. It came on while we were in the closet and was so loud, it sounded just like a freight train! The storm passed over us and the twister actually touched down about 2 miles from our house, but we were safe!

But truly there were so many days and nights I felt paralyzed with fear over the severe weather in North Texas. That is one of the very few things I don't miss about Texas...being in Tornado alley! We do get summer thunderstorms here, but mainly just lightening and a little rain then the sun comes back out. Nothing like that crazy Texas tornado weather! It's been so beautiful here the last few weeks. The weather here just makes me want to have a pool and be a sun goddess! That's probably why God didn't bless us with a pool...I'd have skin cancer!

3 comments:

Karen said...

We experienced 2 tornadoes when we lived in OKC. We were in the closet ALOT! I remember once when Jackson(my son) was about 1, hubby was out of town and mom was visiting. We heard the news and mom and I got in the closet with the baby. Too scary. Before I knew it Mom was like, Hey I forgot the wine. SO we sat in the closet, with the baby, during a tornado, drinking wine!!! Thankfully that one wasn't close. The second one hit the outskirts of our neighborhood. Yikes. Pretty scary!!

Stef Layton said...

that cracks me up! 4 years ago St. Johns County, FL experienced 4 hurricanes - and one night after putting our son to bed, hubby and I were playing monopoly (going to ride out the storm) - well we heard "the sound" and we both jumped up and ran, but he ended up tackling me to the floor and laying ontop of me - for what we thought was a tornado going to rip our house apart (we lived 1 mile from the bch). Needless to say, after I peeled my husband off of me - it was the tree in the neighbors yard had split and tore apart - it did land on the edge of our roof (Thank God only that much) but was hilarious because we thought for sure we heard "the train"!
p.s - my uncle lives in Ft. Worth, so I hear all about tornado season

Stephanie said...

You NEVER told me that story. Was it your River Trails house? Maybe that was March 2002? I was driving home and 96.3 said if you are on 30 b/t Fort Worth and Arlington, take cover. I took cover under the Eastchase Bridge. I bet it's the same tornado. The one that hit the bank in downtown.