However mother nature had a different plan for us.
Sunday the day started out hazy outside and humid. The humidify just kept on increasing and we knew we were in for some storms. Dusty and Sammy had fallen asleep in the recliner later in the afternoon so Daniel and I went outside to take a walk together. Once outside I decided that we better just go around the block since the sky was getting darker and it looked like it was raining off in the distance already.
We stopped to talk to our new backdoor neighbor and the sky just kept on getting darker and it looked like it was raining off in the distance. Dusty and Sammy came out a bit later and I asked what woke them up since Dusty can sleep through alot of noise. It was the weather radio that woke him up. The storms were brewing. We had no clue just how bad it was going to get though.
I gave the boys a bath and took one myself quick since I wouldn't want to take one later if we were in weather warnings. Not too long after that the tornado watches and warnings started popping up and Dusty and I started rounding up supplies and the kids and headed downstairs.
It did alot of blowing, alot a raining and some hailing. We were hearing about tornados being spotted and damage being reported starting in the Parkersburg area. We lost power and then we had to rely on the weather radio and cell phone calls from family and friends. At one point we did go back upstairs only to go back down a bit later when more stuff started brewing up and heading our way. The boys were doing very well.
We came back upstairs and were able to get channel 9 news on the little TV well enough to hear it and we were hearing that Parkersburg was partially flattened. As was New Hartford. Then we got word that Aunt Jan and Uncle Steve's farm was hit bad. Now it was really hitting home, this was a bad one. Around 11 pm or so we got power back on and took the boys up to bed since all the warnings and watches had been canceled by that time. All the damage was done. The tornado was 3/4 - 1 1/4 mile wide and traveled through many towns across eastern Iowa. It was an EF-5 tornado, the first one to hit Iowa in about 35 years.
Monday (Memorial Day) we got up early and Dusty headed out to help his family access the damage at Steve and Jan's farm. After Dusty made it there he called to let me know if it was safe to go to the Platte farm or not and it was safe, but there was alot of devistation to see on the way.
When the boys and I headed to the farm everything looked normal until we got about 8 miles from home. I was in shock seeing the damage to the houses, trees and land. I had never seen tornado distruction first hand. it is for sure something I will never forget.
1 comment:
That is so scary. I have been there and it is NOT fun! I am very sorry for your families devastation and hope that it can all get cleaned up quickly.
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