Tornado

Yesterday, we had a tornado come through here. A few of them, actually. And many, many people all around us are facing total devastation.
In the morning, we got a report that there would be big thunderstorms with lots of flash flooding. We secured the house and went about our business. Early afternoon, I received a notice that there was a tornado watch in effect. Tornado Watch means that there is a high possibility of a Tornado forming, a Tornado Warning means "take cover!" because a tornado has been reported on the ground. We see tornado watches all the time and they've never amounted to anything. Once or twice a tiny twister has set down and wrecked a roof or something, but never anything major, so no one was worried about it.

The day progressed and got darker and darker, and little by little the wind started to pick up. The clouds formed. They began to swirl and sway all around us. In some places, we saw a straight line of perfect light surrounded by dark storm clouds. I could tell the storm was coming, that the sky was trying to rain, but it seemed like it was going to be one of those wierd southern moments we have so much in the summer-- lots of buildup, ten minutes of storming, and then nothing.

It was in the early afternoon that I began to feel a stirring in my spirit, that something was wrong, that I needed to pray. I gathered my children around and prayed the traditional Catholic blessing against storms, and noticed a notification in my facebook that I had an email. Another friend a county away was feeling moved to pray as well. She was asking for confirmation-- "is the wind making you uneasy?" she asked.

 I typed out a quick response affirming her and headed to the bedroom to spend some time in prayer. It happened quick. Before long, we started to hear the low, deep roar of continuous thunder. I went up to get my husband and we all stood out on the porch, observing for a while. The wind was strong. the clouds began to swirl in a continuous pattern around our sky turned a deep, oceany greenish grey. Then the rain came. We saw it start down the street like someone was dumping buckets from above us. Inch by inch it raced towards us, making us feel trapped, as if it was literally gaining on us.
It came in sheets, pounding the pavement, and quickly turned to large  pieces of hail. We literally RAN through the front door, scooping up the children and their blankets. Once inside, we posted by the window watching the trees bend and swing dangerously low to the ground. Then, a few minutes later we saw debris begin floating through the air in front of us. Pieces of roof tiles. Wood. What looked like a bird (and was probably an article of clothing.) At that point we thought.... something major was going on. My husband abruptly shooed us all towards the couch in the center of the room and away from the window. Despite the kids' complaints that they couldn't see, a hush came over us as we hunkered down. It didn't look like it was getting better, but it sure didn't look like it was getting worse, either, so after a half hour or so we turned on a movie, "O Brother, where art thou," and settled down to ride out the storm, praying the power would stay on.
At one point, my Mother in law called from Sanford, a little town not too far from here where she said a tornado had touched down right near them and destroyed a Lowe's. Having been there a few years back when a tornado took out a "books a million" bookstore, I imagined the scene as it had been then: a little whirlwind, a broken sign, a few dozen shingles flying off the roof. I told her to stay safe and hung up the phone.
Several times, I glanced out the window and was overcome with a sense of impending doom, and I'd pace back and forth trying to get everyone ready to settle into the bathroom in the center of the house. Then my husband would calm me down, explaining how it was getting lighter and that the storm was passing. He was convinced we "wouldn't get much more of a show." And he was right... shortly thereafter the sun pierced through and an eerie calm came over the neighborhood.
Outside the air smelled like fresh dirt and fresh rain and the water was already evaporating off of the garden soil. A couple large trees and branches had been ripped out and blown over, and we set to work re-adjusting everything outside. My Father in law broke out the Husqvarna and set to work helping a little old lady and two female mormon missionaries cut through a tree that was blocking their driveway. Wheelbarrows full of wood were rolled in, split,  and put away in our pile for next winter. And then it hit me.... sirens. I was hearing sirens. A strange feeling came over me and I began to pray, as a knot formed in the pit of my stomach. I still felt something was wrong.
I went inside to check twitter, where I knew I'd be able to find up to the minute pictures and news. And find it I did: this was the Lowe's my mother in law had been talking about.

Needless to say, I was shocked. I began frantically tweeting and facebooking with friends trying to figure out how extensive the Sanford damage was and heard horrific stories from people on the scene. One report said they had 70 missing. Another said there were people (presumably alive and dead) just strewn everywhere. My heart sank... what a terrible ordeal!!

A few moments later it occurred to me to check for damage here in Fayetteville. After all, that had been a truly serious storm, and I was sure at least a tree or two had fallen. Nothing could have prepared me for what we found, just outside our little community:

Photo from the Fayetteville Observer, April 17, 2011

TOTAL carnage. My side of town and another part of town opposite us was hit worst. It's surreal driving around, because most of Fayetteville looks completely fine and normal, and then you hit certain districts or neighborhoods and they are just gone-- it's reminiscent of a warzone, which I'm sure is not so easy on our returning soldiers, so frequently assaulted by PTSD. There is so much work to do and so much help needed.

I've heard many miraculous stories of people saved within minutes or an inch of their lives for various reasons and also of heroic actions taken to save children or older persons who couldn't move as fast as they needed. I've been impressed with how quickly our city pulled together emergency services to help situate people. We are a city with no homeless shelter, so we had to make something from nothing and there are sooo many displaced families. Those of you looking for ways to help can check this article for info.

Life is so crazy... so uncontrollable when it comes down to it. One minute, you're taking a family trip to Lowe's on a Saturday to get some stuff for around the house. The next; you have no house and your family is gone. And nothing could have prepared you, or prevented it. Amazing. Humbling.

Turns out tornados took out much of North Carolina, some of Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Please keep all of those affected by these terrible storms in your prayers. 

May the God of peace and consolation assist us here in Fayetteville and in all places affected by natural disasters, which seem to have increased in scope and nature in these last days. Amen.

If you're local and were affected by the tornado, have encouragement,  need prayer, or help, feel free to comment!