Auntie Em! Auntie Em!
It was a wild night here last night.
2:29 AM. I’m fast asleep, dreaming of something really important (I’m sure). Dixie Cat is between The Lovely Mrs. G. and I, tucked in tight. All is fine.
And then I start to hear it. The high pitch whine coming from outside. Louder and louder, then softer, then louder.
It’s the tornado siren.
Well, lemme tell ya: Nothing says “Good morning, Omaha!” like being jarred awake by the tornado sirens.
2:29 AM. I’m fast asleep, dreaming of something really important (I’m sure). Dixie Cat is between The Lovely Mrs. G. and I, tucked in tight. All is fine.
And then I start to hear it. The high pitch whine coming from outside. Louder and louder, then softer, then louder.
It’s the tornado siren.
Well, lemme tell ya: Nothing says “Good morning, Omaha!” like being jarred awake by the tornado sirens.
I can see the lightning flashing through the bedroom window, and the thunder is loud – and short. It sounded more like cannonballs being fired than thunder.
So I lean over the cat and shake Mrs. G., who is starting to come to (the noise of the sirens was doing what it was supposed to), and off we went to the basement.
In 13 years of living in the Midwest, this is only the second time we’ve been woken up by the tornado sirens. The first time was about 12 years ago, when we lived in a crappy 2nd floor loft apartment in Cowtown, USA. We weren’t sure where we needed to go for safety, so we just hung around the bathroom area (no windows there) for a while until it passed.
But this time we were as ready as we could be. Mrs. G, the two cats, and I all huddled around the big screen, watching the storm’s progress on TV. Everywhere around us they were telling people to seek shelter, because “trained spotters” (i.e. guys who aren’t supposed to B.S. you) were saying that a tornado had touched down around South 132nd St and L St, which is about 4 miles NW of us. There’s a new Target store and a Wal-Mart on that corner that apparently had lost their roofs, and while that storm was marching east, another tornado was reported near 140th & Harrison.
Oh, shit.
Now, to put us in perspective of where these tornadoes touched down, take a look at this graphic I swiped from the local TV station.
So I lean over the cat and shake Mrs. G., who is starting to come to (the noise of the sirens was doing what it was supposed to), and off we went to the basement.
In 13 years of living in the Midwest, this is only the second time we’ve been woken up by the tornado sirens. The first time was about 12 years ago, when we lived in a crappy 2nd floor loft apartment in Cowtown, USA. We weren’t sure where we needed to go for safety, so we just hung around the bathroom area (no windows there) for a while until it passed.
But this time we were as ready as we could be. Mrs. G, the two cats, and I all huddled around the big screen, watching the storm’s progress on TV. Everywhere around us they were telling people to seek shelter, because “trained spotters” (i.e. guys who aren’t supposed to B.S. you) were saying that a tornado had touched down around South 132nd St and L St, which is about 4 miles NW of us. There’s a new Target store and a Wal-Mart on that corner that apparently had lost their roofs, and while that storm was marching east, another tornado was reported near 140th & Harrison.
Oh, shit.
Now, to put us in perspective of where these tornadoes touched down, take a look at this graphic I swiped from the local TV station.
The big red circle? That’s what took Dorothy and Toto away. Just to the SE of there, the corner of 84th & Giles Rd? Yeah, that’s us. See me waving up at you?
Fortunately, the tornado fizzed out somewhere around 120th St. We saw a lot of lightning through the basement window, and a pretty nasty heavy downpour, but that was about it. No damage, no injuries, nobody killed. Thank God.
This morning they’re still trying to figure out where exactly the tornadoes hit, and how much damage was done to area homes. But this is the third time this week that Mother Nature has given the middle finger to the Omaha area – several of my co-workers had their homes and cars damaged by tornadoes last week. Hail the size of baseballs slamming through your roof and windows will do that.
So I’m glad to report that all is fine in the Gressel household. We got back to bed around 3:15, after the sirens stopped and the storm moved on to the east. I’m groggy today, but I’m sure that’s mostly from my nerves being on edge last night.
Fortunately, the tornado fizzed out somewhere around 120th St. We saw a lot of lightning through the basement window, and a pretty nasty heavy downpour, but that was about it. No damage, no injuries, nobody killed. Thank God.
This morning they’re still trying to figure out where exactly the tornadoes hit, and how much damage was done to area homes. But this is the third time this week that Mother Nature has given the middle finger to the Omaha area – several of my co-workers had their homes and cars damaged by tornadoes last week. Hail the size of baseballs slamming through your roof and windows will do that.
So I’m glad to report that all is fine in the Gressel household. We got back to bed around 3:15, after the sirens stopped and the storm moved on to the east. I’m groggy today, but I’m sure that’s mostly from my nerves being on edge last night.
Like many things in life, there’s not much you can do to stop a tornado. You just have to find a safe place, say a little prayer, and make sure you have your insurance premiums up to date.
And the next time they want to raise the taxes to improve the tornado siren warning system, smile and happily pay it. It’s worth it.
And the next time they want to raise the taxes to improve the tornado siren warning system, smile and happily pay it. It’s worth it.
posted by Tommy G at
11:06 AM
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