From the far north they heard a low wail of the wind, and Uncle Henry and Dorothy could see where the long grass bowed in waves before the coming storm. There now came a sharp whistling in the air from the south, and as they turned their eyes that way they saw ripples in the grass coming from that direction also.
Suddenly Uncle Henry stood up.
"There's a cyclone coming, Em," he called to his wife; "I'll go look after the stock." Then he ran toward the sheds where the cows and horses were kept.
Aunt Em dropped her work and came to the door. One glance told her of the danger close at hand.
"Quick, Dorothy!" she screamed; "run for the cellar!"
The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum
I guess this is a typical reaction for residents of Kansas and other tornado-prone areas of the country. Unfortunately, in the hills of Appalachia, twisters are nearly unheard of, the stuff of movies and books which would explain my relaxed approach to the storm last Monday afternoon.
Like a redneck's last words ("Hey, buddy, watch this!"), the boys and I stood at our storm door remarking, "Wow, this is some storm!" In trying to call my husband, I reached my father instead and marveled to him about the intensity of the wind and rain which completely blocked our view of the street.
"Tornado" never once crossed my mind nor did the thought of escaping to the basement. As my mother later reminded me, "The Lord watches over fools and drunks."
Isn't that the truth.
Interruptions to electricity and phone service were merely annoyances. We gathered only a small pile of twigs, and while many of our neighbors were less fortunate in regards to their landscaping,
the overall structural damage to our neighborhood was minimal.
There has been a flurry of activity including lots of rescue and utility trucks working feverishly to restore everything to normal which has provided a great diversion to our regular routine.
Chances are we'll be frequenting the basement in the future. Better safe than sorry.
No comments:
Post a Comment