This was the look of the sky over my home most of yesterday. It was a chaotic day of warnings, watches, rain, thunder, lightning and strong winds from noon till eight p.m. Severe racing storms overhead mingled their sound with my radio blaring out "take cover."
I have been through lots of tornado conditions but yesterday's number of tornadoes in the state of Kentucky was indeed scary. Ultimately, as night moved in, I found I had escaped with no destruction to my home or property. And, I was all in one piece physically. Except I found I was mentally shaken from the whole experience.
But sad to say many persons across several states, that were touched by the huge front that ran from the deep south to the far northern state of Michigan, experienced some destruction. Many even lost their lives.
When such storms enter our lives we are vulnerable to death or critical injury. A tornado strike happens randomly. We know what it can do, we respect its ferociousness. Yet if we find ourselves under the threat of a tornado we attempt to deny the possibility that it might touch down on our place.
But we are vulnerable to the randomness of Mother Nature. It was a reminder to me that life is to be lived for the moment.
Mother Nature is indeed a fickle lady when it comes to visiting fear. I've some friends who weren't so lucky in that their property was severly damaged but persons and goats remained safe. For that we can be thankful.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this.
Safe wishes your way.
:)
Mimi
The Goat Borrower
Mimi, For some reason I remember a phrase that my mother used to say to me when I escaped some bad situation. It was, "count your lucky stars." I don't know where this phrase came from but in the situation of your friends -- they were in a sense able to count their lucky stars having survived along with their animals. Thanks for commenting -- barbara
DeleteNature reminds us always that we are visitors on Her earth and our flimsy shelters are not always able to protect us. A poem speaks of "fear and awe" which is what tornadoes and other terrible storms bring. I find this morning that my brother and his family in Indiana were just 15 miles away from a town that was badly hit and where 4 people died. I'm looking out the window at a gray and rainy day and feeling grateful that will be the extent of my discomfort today.
ReplyDeleteJune -- I do hope that your brother and family in Indiana are fine. 15 minutes from devastation is in the realm of the "luck of the draw." They were fortunate. Today we are facing heavy river flooding in nearby areas from all the hard rain that fell yesterday. Fear and awe is a true way to describe Mother Nature when she displays her fury. Enjoy your weekend and thanks for the comment -- barbara
DeleteI am so grateful to hear that you, your critters and your property escaped unscathed!! The deaths, injuries and scale of destruction is staggering. I remember how scary the tornado warnings were when we lived in TX and during a summer spent in Wichita, KS - I can't begin to imagine living in a place where such storms are commonplace. I'll take an April blizzard any day!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting, Barbara - I hope you are able to spend a quiet, soothing weekend recovering from the traumatic events of yesterday and last night.
Laloofah -- You have lived in some high tornado risk states -- TX and KS! I now have a NOAA weather alert radio that a kind employee of the Department of Emergency Operations brought out to my place and hooked up when he found out I was out of hearing reach of any tornado sirens. It is a wonderful device that tells you when to take cover, when to watch for tornadoes, and severe weather in relation to where you live. The NOAA announcements yesterday kept me glued to the radio as there were so many tornadic activities in my area. Today the sun is beautiful and bright like nothing ever happened yesterday. Thanks for your comment -- barbara
DeleteI tracked them all day via the Weather Channel. Deadly. Be safe!
ReplyDeleteBirdman -- As I mentioned in my comment to Laloofah above -- a kind Department of Emergency Operations man came to my home yesterday and hooked up a special NOAA radio for me. I was able to track the surrounding storms with precise accuracy. Hurrah for the Emergency Operations folks. Thanks for commenting -- barbara
DeleteOmygosh....these extreme weather events are terrifying. I am glad that all is well with you. Wonderful that you now have a storm tracking radio, too.
DeleteGaea -- So many tornadoes circling the broad band of states east of the Mississippi. KY alone had 135 confirmed sighting one just about a mile from where I live. It didn't touch down. I now feel better prepared now that I have a NOAA radio. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteWe have many kinds of weather around here, but not tornados. This looks nasty indeed. I hope al is well!
ReplyDeleteRuneE -- Perhaps the environmental reason your country does not have them is that you do not have warm air masses that meet cold air masses? Not sure about this. All is well with me but for many it will be a long recovery as they have lost their homes and jobs. Thanks for the comment -- barbara
DeleteHow true! I am glad you were spared the fury of the storms. We were lucky too and only got a quick thunderstorm from it all.
ReplyDeleteJanet -- I am not a fraidy cat -- but I was that day! Glad you were spared! Thanks for your comment -- barbara
DeleteGlad you are all right. We had tornadoes here in western NC which is very unusual. Several in Cherokee County but thankfully no loss of life.
ReplyDeleteNCmountainwoman -- Yes, I heard about NC. This chain of tonadic storms hit so many states. Sure hope this is the last of such huge and horrendous storms for a while. thanks for stopping by -- barara
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