Ready for the Storm

We just had one of the most amazing storms here in central Ohio.  The tornado sirens were blaring, and at one point lightening struck so close to us, it made a huge cracking sound that was deafening.  We had to get the cats into carriers and take cover, it was all so close.  My sister was over, and the three of us had to jam in a closet when a huge gush of wind swept by, making me think there was a tornado in our back yard.  It may have been a dramatic response, but I was in a better safe than sorry mood.

It's amazing that the sky can be so light and so dark at the same time.

I couldn't help from seeing the beauty in the storm, even in the midst of a sort of chaos.  I had trouble tearing myself away from the window at first, even though it is not a safe place to be.  I watched a sheet of rain blow in from our upstairs window, and the lightning was so thick and bright.  There was a moment when we were all in the closet that I felt completely surrounded by, and at the mercy of, nature.  I recalled a dream I had when I was younger that has stuck with me for over 20 years.  In the dream, we were living in our old house in Springfield, IL.  There was a tornado, and we all sat on the stairs going from the kitchen to the basement as the tornado swirled around us.  It completely enveloped the house, and I could see the swirling wind from where I sat.  The tornado was talking to us in it's own way, snarling almost.  And yet I wasn't scared of it.  It was almost as if we were all in it together; us, the tornado, the house.  I'm not sure how else to describe the feeling.

Proof that good comes with the bad.

I left the windows open at first: 1. because I like them open during storms so I can see and smell everything, and 2. because that's what we always did growing up when there was a tornado, and so I thought it was the right thing to do.  My sister, however, informed me this time around that you are actually supposed to close the windows:

To get to the very center of a mature tornado (where the pressure may be low enough to cause some explosive effects), the windows would have to endure 100-200 mph winds in the walls of the vortex. Those winds would be laden with boards, stones, cars, trees, telephone poles, and the neighbor's roof shingles as well as wind pressure of more than 100 pounds per square foot. This barrage would blow more than enough ventilation holes in the building to allow any pressure difference to be equalized.  Even with the windows closed, most houses and commercial buildings have enough openings to vent the pressure difference in the time that it takes for a tornado to pass.

                        ~Tornado Project

If you would like to learn more about Tornado Safety, visit FEMA.

My thoughts are with those who have not been as fortunate as us.

1. By horrormove on Deviant Art   2. By Eric Nguyen on picbitz