Tornado Awareness Week

I am watching the Weather Channel and the Tornado Week special again today. Yes, my family lives in tornado alley and I've seen a few of the twisters myself. I made the mistake of letting my 8 year old daughter watch it with me yesterday, though. When it came to bed time, she kept coming downstairs, fretting about tornadoes. I didn't deny the fact that we could have one, but I told her too that we would be safe as long as we were in the basement if one happened to visit our area. The house we live in is over 100 years old and has yet to be struck with a disaster such as a tornado. It survived the Dust Bowl years during the Dirty Thirties (there was still dirt in the original wall structures when the house was remodeled in 1995), several hail storms, straight line winds, and numerous blizzards.

When I was younger, I used to love going out to look for the tornados in the storms. Now, as a mother, they terrify me. Now I have little lives that depend on me to keep them safe because I am the mommy. Yet, there is still something inside me that thrives on the adrenaline rush I experience when you have the chance to see something violent from Mother Nature. Your heart doesn't necessarily pound, but it does speed up. You have a heightened state of awareness that makes you notice every little thing. There is also a little bit of the nerd in you that shines through as you race to pull the information from your brain that you learned from watching tornado specials, weather casts and movies. Then your kids frantic pleas to stop watching the clouds reach through the fog in your brain and you act like the adult you are supposed to be.

I am as ready as we can be. I have an emergency tote downstairs for tornado occasions. I have a blanket to throw over us if need be, as well as two gallons of distilled water, plus bottled water, dried fruit, beef jerky, diapers, wet wipes, a radio, a flash light and fresh batteries for both. Sometimes we practice going downstairs, but at least one time a year we all head for the basement because the threat is very real.

I wouldn't give up living where we do. I love this place and the weather, for the most part.




On a closing somber note, I would like to extend my condolences to the family members and friends that have been effected by the mining blast in West Virginia. To lose anyone to death is difficult enough to handle, but to have people you know and love taken away from you unexpectedly in a tragedy such as this is terrible. I hold you all in my heavy heart today.