5/10/10

A very awe inspiring & scary weather day!

So a couple of weeks ago I complained about the crazy wind we'd had here. Well I now know that was literally nothing compared to today, without doubt the worst winds in my almost 5 years here!


This was the sight that met me when I got home today!


A big branch had snapped off our huge Cottonwood tree and hit one of the back fence panels knocking it out into the alley behind.


Typically the whole mess happened in front of our gas main/meter which was hit, so we had to call out the gas company to give us the all clear. Two planks were ripped out of the panel by the strength of the wind!


One of the branches snapped clean off, and we can't even see where it came out of the tree.


This picture gives NO IDEA of the 60mph wind gusts we were fighting as we made this repair. At one point I was leaning on the panel holding it in place, when another gust tipped me and it over the gas meter again. Luckily the Hubster arrived just in time to save me from being squashed under it!


It took us about 90 minutes to fight it back into place!


But we were the lucky ones! There was a widespread tornado outbreak southeast of us around Oklahoma City, an estimated 10 tornado touchdowns. This monster tornado was captured by one of the news helicoptors, from 3 miles away!


This was a mobile home park that was more than 2 miles from the actual tornado. All this damage was caused just by the inflow (the winds being sucked into the tornado) where wind speeds were thought to be over 90mph! So to reiterate this wasn't even in the tornado path and it was destroyed - very very scary!

Tragically there have been 5 fatalities, 40 homes totally flattened and another 40 damaged. But also a miracle - 100 people got into the cooler at a Loves Truck Stop which was totally destroyed, they all survived.

You can't help but be in total awe of natures power living here in Okieland! But without any doubt we also have the best weather reporting in the world (deservedly & justifiably!), and today they undoubtedly saved many lives with their accuracy and excellent early warnings.

23 comments:

Pam said...

Yep, amen to the weather reporting. And they were very accurate for the time period they gave for hitting our area -- exactly between 4:45 and 4:53 or something ridiculously accurate like that. Luckily for us it was all to the east, but not so much for others ... am hearing reports filtering in from other folks we know. One friend lives right near the Love's Country store and rode it out in the cellar evidently, came out to find house GONE.

Unknown said...

So sorry to hear about your friends Pam. There was a new build estate closby Loves you could see was destroyed, devastating!

A Brit in Tennessee said...

Wow, what a mess, wind can be so destructive, it always scares me especially around trees.
I'm so glad to hear you are both OK, the fence can be repaired.
I hope the weather settles down, there's so much already happened this year and it's only May !

Kay said...

My neighbor had their hackberry tree fall down due to strong winds. It knocked down their newly installed fence. Do you know their house insurance covered it all (plus tree removal) because it hit the fence? Sheesh! We had to pay for the entire removal of our tree because it didn't hurt any part of our house when it fell. It sure does look scary in your part of the country. Stay safe, Sarah! I hope you've got a cellar to go to or something... a bomb shelter?

Kathy W said...

You know I was glued to the TV last night. I watched those dang tornados rip up OKC and prayed they weren't headed for the Tulsa area. I truly hate Oklahoma weather. I am glad you and your hubby made it through okay. =)

Anonymous said...

The power of nature is truly awesome. Happy to know damage to your home was minimal. Thoughts go out to those who have lost loved ones and homes.

Midwest to Midlands said...

I'm glad to hear you are safe, it's unbelievable the damage the tornadoes can do. One thing I don't miss about the Midwest is the fearfullness and devastation of tornado season. Too many close calls and more nights spent in the basement than I care to remember. Just one story for now -one time at work a full grown tree was completely uprooted right behind the building, but no one was hurt. Let's hope this season is a short one. Take care!

Stella Jones said...

Fearsome weather indeed. Let's hope it passes away quickly.Glad you got your fence mended.
Blessings Star

Flea said...

I'm so glad you all escaped unharmed!!! I was worrying about you last night. The truck stop has been all over the news here. We only got the wind and rain here in Tulsa.

Pat said...

Yikes! And I thought I'd been in a strong wind before. I'm glad there was no other damage besides the downed section of fence.

Daryl said...

I emailed you this morning because I have been so worried but it bounced back ... I hope all is well there .. xo

Frostbite and Sunburn said...

Wow - powerful and destructive forces. Amazing for those people at the truck stop! It's a funny ol' year for weather this year - I'm ready for a good ol' fashioned calm summer!

Richard Lawry said...

I'm glad that you suffered no more damage than you did. we were watching the weather closely as the storm headed for Arkansas. We had no damage here, but our hearts go out to all those who did. It was just 13 months ago that my town was devastated by a tornado.

An Arkies Musings

Expat mum said...

Count your blessings you're married to the Hubster and not the Ball & Chain, or that hole would still be there next January!

Mare said...

You are the only one I know[sort of, kind of] in Oklahoma, and the first thought that I had when the news was showing 3 tornadoes in one picture. I was happy to see your post. Batten down the hatches!!

imac said...

Wow, that sure was rough, great shots tho.

Snippety Gibbet said...

I keep hearing about Oklahoma during the weather reports. I always wonder where you are in relation to such things. Glad to hear that you had minimal damage. I worry about y'all. jan

Anonymous said...

I'm glad you're okay Sarah. I heard about the tornados and wondered about you and whether you'd mention it on your blog.

On a more positive note, at least the damn cottonwood tree won't be spewing any of it's annoying white fluffy pieces around anymore.

Cathy said...

Just happened on your blog looking for other Okie bloggers. We seemto all be thinking the same thing. We are in southwest Oklahoma, near Lawton. Everything was close, but just slightly east of us. And another watch tonight!
turkeycreeklavender@blogspot.com

Jill of All Trades said...

Oh wow...I was thinking about you yesterday when all the bad weather hit. We are in Vegas and totally missed out on the tornado stuff but they are having recording setting winds here. Brought it with us I guess. Take care

Unknown said...

Thank you all for your thoughts and concern.

Actually tonight we had more action in our area and a tornado warning 20 miles from us for a couple of hours. We are under a watch until 4am, but so far all is quiet in our neck of the woods. And more again tomorrow!

Iota said...

We were in the basement too. It's scary stuff, isn't it?

Girl Tornado said...

That photo looks like the Medford tornado? Hubby and I were on the front porch as long as we could, me of course trying to get photos. We had tennis ball size hail... when it first came flying past me, it scared the bejesus outta me!! It sounded like it was breaking windows on the house (and the dogs were totally freaking out in the house!) but miraculously it didn't break any windows, just sounded that way. It was one crazy night, my craziest yet since I've lived here. I'm going to try not to be so nervous the next time I get the opportunity to take pics of a tornado, I mean, it was obvious this one was skirting the state line and wasn't coming towards us... but still!!!

Glad to hear you guys are ok, but my heart goes out to everyone who suffered, whether physically or by losing their home. Awful stuff.