Ever seen a tornado in person?

Kodos · 05-05-2016, 11:59 AM

One of my goals in life is to see a tornado. Of course, I'd like to see it out in the middle of nowhere so that I don't have to feel bad for people's houses getting trashed and people getting killed. Whenever there is a tornado watch, I head outside while the rest of my family hides in the basement. So far, no dice. Have any of you seen one in person?

spleen1015 · 05-05-2016, 12:10 PM

When I was in the USAF, I was stationed in Biloxi for 8 weeks to learn my job. While I was there, I was in the HQ during a thunderstorm and saw a tornado. I watched it come down the street, enter our court yard and tear up the decks, picnic tables, etc. I ducked under a desk at this point and didn't see where it went after that. There were 3 or 4 of us in the room. Everyone was pale white afterwards.

Was a pretty terrifying experience. It was a good thing I was in a concrete building.

JonInMiddleGA · 05-05-2016, 12:27 PM

Several.

Middle of nowhere is the way to go, unfortunately they tend to prefer other paths :/

First one was when I was maybe 4-5. Watched one come across an open field & basically "hop" my great grandparents house in the middle of a family get together. Nothing says family fun like huddling in an interior hallway. But saw it coming, which was (at that age) a pretty transfixing deal.

Next one I was probably 11. Watching an older friend's baseball game, while my dad discussed league matters with some other coaches. Saw it coming too, as it descended. Never ran that fast in my life. It has the distinction of producing the most memorable sound I've ever heard: a street marker torn from its post bouncing down an eerily quiet street. Surreal sound, like something from a movie.

Then my radio years, half a dozen or so. I was news director for several of my years, so I chased a handful of them (one of the easiest ways to get some TV time for you & your station is to beat the TV crews to the scene). Gave up that idiotically amateurish chasing (see tornado, follow tornado was the depth of it) after getting too damn close once, and after stopping the chase in order to help pull people out of a destroyed mobile home. They were uninjured but shaken, maybe the sight of a radio guy & a TV cameraman helping instead of reporting threw them off though.

Since then, seen at least 2 more, maybe 3. Nothing says fun drive through rural Georgia like a two-lane road & being on a parallel course to a twister.
(for those who know the local geography, the road between Monticello & Madison has some pretty long open views, just right for seeing a major oh-shit sight)

nilodor · 05-05-2016, 12:43 PM

I've been unfortunate enough to have seen two. Both experiences were pretty much the same, giant wall of blackness, eerie wind and energy feeling. Both times I was driving, the first was this one:
Pine Lake tornado - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

We were on the highway on the other side of the lake, didn't really know that it was happening until it was over and heard about it on the news.

Other one was in North Dakota and I was driving along in this wicked storm, and then there were cows walking around on the interstate and fencing all over the place, same kind of feeling.

I'm kind of hoping I only ever see them again on TV.

JonInMiddleGA · 05-05-2016, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nilodor

I'm kind of hoping I only ever see them again on TV.

This. Very this.

Kodos · 05-05-2016, 12:49 PM

Wow, Jon. You get all of the interesting occurences. (I was just reading the paranormal thread, where you've had quite a few experiences.)

flere-imsaho · 05-05-2016, 12:56 PM

Nope. Been in a few hurricanes, though. Would much prefer that, except if I was at sea.

JonInMiddleGA · 05-05-2016, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kodos

Wow, Jon. You get all of the interesting occurences. (I was just reading the paranormal thread, where you've had quite a few experiences.)

It ain't been dull.

Not sure the absence of dull equates with "fun" necessarily though :/

Weird on the other hand? Yeah, I think I've got that shit covered.

Kodos · 05-05-2016, 01:02 PM

Yeah, I realize these experiences often aren't fun. But I think some would point to a more interesting view on life. Like ghosts for instance - they'd certainly point to some sort of afterlife.

PilotMan · 05-05-2016, 02:46 PM

I've only seen a couple, nothing serious, but they scare the crap out of me and I hope I never see one again. When I was a kid my mom came in, in the middle of the night, and yelled at me to go to the basement. We just sat there listening to the radio. The news was reporting that up to 8 funnel clouds had been sighted in the area. I wasn't sure what to think. I think they are an incredible phenomenon, but one that I'd just rather know happened elsewhere rather than be anywhere near one.

It's one of the main reason's that I'll never move anywhere near tornado alley. Just don't want to think about that. Even very severe thunderstorms in the night get me pacing around the house.

Dutch · 05-05-2016, 04:56 PM

I've endured close calls with tornados (in Mississippi) but the closest ones were at night. I probably couldn't seen them if I was during the day and I wasn't underneath a mattress in the tub (our emergency plan).

Seen a waterspout in Tampa, does that count!?

cuervo72 · 05-05-2016, 06:10 PM

Ever been in a Turkish prison, Joey?

frnk55 · 05-05-2016, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nilodor

Other one was in North Dakota and I was driving along in this wicked storm, and then there were cows walking around on the interstate and fencing all over the place, same kind of feeling.

I'm kind of hoping I only ever see them again on TV.

It seems North Dakota gets 1 every other year. I've seen maybe 4.

Ryno · 05-05-2016, 07:46 PM

I saw the F5 Plainfield tornado in 1990 from about ten miles away. It had been a sunny, nearly cloudless sky, but almost instantly turned green. Being a stupid teenager, I didn't go inside immediately, and saw it only a few minutes later. Even from that distance it was gigantic, and easily the scariest thing I've ever seen.

Kodos · 05-05-2016, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Ever been in a Turkish prison, Joey?

"Joey. Do you like it when Scraps grabs your leg and rubs up and down? "

ColtCrazy · 05-06-2016, 12:54 PM

Henryville Tornado was my experience. After it came through Henryville, it hit the southern part of our county, very near where the school I work at is at. You could see it from a great distance considering the expanse of it. We were in the basement with the students for a long time, though a couple of us had wandered upstairs because the weather radios weren't working well below ground. Afterward, they were asking for anyone with first aid experience to go to Henryville. Immediately afterward, no one was sure what the damage had been. I'll never forget going in there. Army helicopters overhead. People wandering about. Thankfully, the casualties were minimal. The devastation was horrific. I didn't take many pictures out of respect for the events, but I did take 4 as I was leaving once enough medical staff had arrived that volunteers were no longer needed. Pics

CrimsonFox · 05-06-2016, 02:02 PM

I thought that said "...in prison"

CrimsonFox · 05-06-2016, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Ever been in a Turkish prison, Joey?

d'oh!

Jerry!

vex · 05-06-2016, 02:36 PM

Lived in Oklahoma or Texas my entire life and have yet to see one. They are always (luckily) about 10-15 miles away from me when they do touch down nearby. I have seen the aftermath of many tornadoes though. The main ones being the Joplin, MO tornado and the Picher, OK tornado.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Joplin_tornado

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picher,_Oklahoma

korme · 05-06-2016, 04:29 PM

Seems like a roundabout way of punching your own ticket.

Senator · 05-06-2016, 06:00 PM

Was a part of the Fort Worth Tornado of March 2000. Lived close to downtown. Got a nice little shot to the head from a roofing tile when it passed by me.

Wolfpack · 05-07-2016, 12:17 AM

Closest I've been to a tornado was the one that skipped through Raleigh a few years back, though I'm sure I've had one or two invade my dreams. I've also been through several tropical storms, the most devastating of which was Fran back in 1996. Pretty much the strongest winds I've experienced in person, up around 50-60 sustained most of the night it made landfall. There may have been a few gust fronts that rivaled that in a short burst.

Antmeister · 05-07-2016, 12:22 AM

I know that people have a fascination with this type of stuff, but I steer far away from it whenever I could. There are just too many variables that could go badly for something that is unpredictable. I already lived through earthquakes (in California), monsoons (in Arizona) and enough floods (Texas) that I have no desire to see a tornado live.

Solecismic · 05-07-2016, 01:07 AM

Haven't seen one. I was sitting at my desk a couple of years ago during what I thought was a mild thunderstorm at about 2:00 a.m. and I heard what sounded like a train in the distance. I was thinking to myself, "if there were any warnings out tonight, that could be a tornado." It lasted about a minute. Came about a half-mile from my house. It somehow missed a direct hit on anyone's house, but it took out a whole lot of trees.

If any of you remember Mickey Stanley from Tiger teams in the '70s, it went right by his house. He has a lot of acreage in the woods behind our neighborhood. Never met him, though. It was about that time I heard he lived there. Very reclusive, lives next door to his daughter, chops a lot of wood (this certainly added to his inventory) and has one of those pay-on-the-honor-system stands by the road.

Senator · 05-08-2016, 05:42 PM

Extreme up-close video of tornado near Wray, CO! - YouTube

Mizzou B-ball fan · 05-08-2016, 06:05 PM

Seen several in my life. Thankfully, none have ended up where I was. Closest I've ever been was about 1/2 mile away from a F3. It was also one of the scariest because it happened during the night and the sirens didn't go off. I heard a lot of wind so I looked outside and saw the trees bending about. Didn't know it was an actual tornado until the next morning. It took the roofs off of homes not that far away from us.

revrew · 05-09-2016, 10:13 AM

I've seen a couple. Unfortunately, the last one I saw (in 2005), was tearing through our house at the time.

Now, my entire family and I were about 4 miles away, watching from our van. A friend had called on our cell phone when we were on the way home and warned us to pull over. We did. Good thing, too. Our small Iowa town was ripped in half, one lady lost her life, and what was left of our house had to be demolished.

Kodos · 05-09-2016, 10:26 AM

Yeesh. Glad you guys weren't home.

CU Tiger · 05-09-2016, 11:22 AM

Late 80s. I was living with a foster family on a small rural farm in SC.

There was "our" house. Then directly acorss the drive way (which was ~1/2 mile long) was a huge field, probably 40 acres. Then the neighbor's house which you could see across the field if it wasn't cotton season. Then "behind" that field was my "uncle's" house. As this family tended to do in the summer everyone was gathered around the covered porch and talking. Storm blew up and we watched the funnel cloud form across the road. It cut right across that huge field, turned and went right through the neighbor's house, picking up a large chunk of it and scattering it across that field and the uncle's yard.

I remember even as a 10 year old kid thinking how surreal it was that none of these folks were excited just silently watching in awe. The mother sat there and prayed and no one said a word.

Probably 10 minutes past. No one ran, screamed even seemingly acknowledged it. Then the "uncle" said, "Well God blessed us that it hit while Lee (neighbor) was at work. I guess I better go and try to make some progress on my yard as Im sure he will need all our help the next week getting his house back in the dry"

I actually have started typing this story twice and stopped because it seems so ridiculous and surreal as to be unbelievable. But that is the way these folks were. Never got excited or hurried about anything. I honestly think if their own home had been destroyed it would have been the same reaction, "Well better get started rebuilding"

Kodos · 05-09-2016, 11:39 AM

In some ways, maybe that's a better way to react.

BishopMVP · 05-09-2016, 12:15 PM

Never a real one as I live in Mass, but I've seen a borderline F0/F1 when I was watching a UMass lacrosse game. Picked up some metal scaffolding and nearly crushed a person... but luckily it was the mascot, so they had plenty of padding.

Then last summer I was helping run a tournament from a gazebo in the middle of Ft. Devens when a windburst came straight through. 70mph winds and driving rain one direction for 1-2 minute, flipped immediately into 70mph winds and driving rain the other direction for 1-2 minutes. Dropped about 2.5-3 inches of rain in less than 5 minutes. Had another one of those go through a couple miles away, still surreal to see even 2 years later it's a clean line of devastation across the hilltop.

JonInMiddleGA · 05-09-2016, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

when a windburst came straight through.

Those can be nasty, especially if you get the downward version.

That's what took down a 200+ year old tree in our yard a number of years back, or at least that was the official version of things.

Now whether there's a downburst that leaves a clearly defined debris trail about a mile & a half long (as this one did) {shrug} well that's a different question.

Dutch · 05-09-2016, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senator

Extreme up-close video of tornado near Wray, CO! - YouTube

Those people are crazy! I'm sure it's a great thrill though....

05-05-2016, 12:10 PM	#2
spleen1015 Coordinator Join Date: Sep 2003	When I was in the USAF, I was stationed in Biloxi for 8 weeks to learn my job. While I was there, I was in the HQ during a thunderstorm and saw a tornado. I watched it come down the street, enter our court yard and tear up the decks, picnic tables, etc. I ducked under a desk at this point and didn't see where it went after that. There were 3 or 4 of us in the room. Everyone was pale white afterwards. Was a pretty terrifying experience. It was a good thing I was in a concrete building. __________________ Why choose failure when success is an option?

05-05-2016, 12:27 PM	#3
JonInMiddleGA Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Behind Enemy Lines in Athens, GA	Several. Middle of nowhere is the way to go, unfortunately they tend to prefer other paths :/ First one was when I was maybe 4-5. Watched one come across an open field & basically "hop" my great grandparents house in the middle of a family get together. Nothing says family fun like huddling in an interior hallway. But saw it coming, which was (at that age) a pretty transfixing deal. Next one I was probably 11. Watching an older friend's baseball game, while my dad discussed league matters with some other coaches. Saw it coming too, as it descended. Never ran that fast in my life. It has the distinction of producing the most memorable sound I've ever heard: a street marker torn from its post bouncing down an eerily quiet street. Surreal sound, like something from a movie. Then my radio years, half a dozen or so. I was news director for several of my years, so I chased a handful of them (one of the easiest ways to get some TV time for you & your station is to beat the TV crews to the scene). Gave up that idiotically amateurish chasing (see tornado, follow tornado was the depth of it) after getting too damn close once, and after stopping the chase in order to help pull people out of a destroyed mobile home. They were uninjured but shaken, maybe the sight of a radio guy & a TV cameraman helping instead of reporting threw them off though. Since then, seen at least 2 more, maybe 3. Nothing says fun drive through rural Georgia like a two-lane road & being on a parallel course to a twister. (for those who know the local geography, the road between Monticello & Madison has some pretty long open views, just right for seeing a major oh-shit sight) __________________ "I lit another cigarette. Unless I specifically inform you to the contrary, I am always lighting another cigarette." - from a novel by Martin Amis

05-05-2016, 12:49 PM	#6
Kodos Resident Alien Join Date: Jun 2001	Wow, Jon. You get all of the interesting occurences. (I was just reading the paranormal thread, where you've had quite a few experiences.) __________________ Author of The Bill Gates Challenge, as well as other groundbreaking dynasties.

05-05-2016, 01:02 PM	#9
Kodos Resident Alien Join Date: Jun 2001	Yeah, I realize these experiences often aren't fun. But I think some would point to a more interesting view on life. Like ghosts for instance - they'd certainly point to some sort of afterlife. __________________ Author of The Bill Gates Challenge, as well as other groundbreaking dynasties.

05-05-2016, 02:46 PM	#10
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	I've only seen a couple, nothing serious, but they scare the crap out of me and I hope I never see one again. When I was a kid my mom came in, in the middle of the night, and yelled at me to go to the basement. We just sat there listening to the radio. The news was reporting that up to 8 funnel clouds had been sighted in the area. I wasn't sure what to think. I think they are an incredible phenomenon, but one that I'd just rather know happened elsewhere rather than be anywhere near one. It's one of the main reason's that I'll never move anywhere near tornado alley. Just don't want to think about that. Even very severe thunderstorms in the night get me pacing around the house. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

05-05-2016, 12:43 PM	#4
nilodor College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: calgary, AB	I've been unfortunate enough to have seen two. Both experiences were pretty much the same, giant wall of blackness, eerie wind and energy feeling. Both times I was driving, the first was this one: Pine Lake tornado - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia We were on the highway on the other side of the lake, didn't really know that it was happening until it was over and heard about it on the news. Other one was in North Dakota and I was driving along in this wicked storm, and then there were cows walking around on the interstate and fencing all over the place, same kind of feeling. I'm kind of hoping I only ever see them again on TV.

05-05-2016, 12:56 PM	#7
flere-imsaho Coordinator Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Chicagoland	Nope. Been in a few hurricanes, though. Would much prefer that, except if I was at sea.

05-05-2016, 04:56 PM	#11
Dutch "Dutch" Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Tampa, FL	I've endured close calls with tornados (in Mississippi) but the closest ones were at night. I probably couldn't seen them if I was during the day and I wasn't underneath a mattress in the tub (our emergency plan). Seen a waterspout in Tampa, does that count!?

05-05-2016, 06:10 PM	#12
cuervo72 Head Coach Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Maryland	Ever been in a Turkish prison, Joey? __________________ null Last edited by cuervo72 : 05-05-2016 at 06:10 PM.

05-05-2016, 07:46 PM	#14
Ryno H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: May 2004 Location: Peoria, IL	I saw the F5 Plainfield tornado in 1990 from about ten miles away. It had been a sunny, nearly cloudless sky, but almost instantly turned green. Being a stupid teenager, I didn't go inside immediately, and saw it only a few minutes later. Even from that distance it was gigantic, and easily the scariest thing I've ever seen.

05-06-2016, 12:54 PM	#16
ColtCrazy College Starter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Midwest	Henryville Tornado was my experience. After it came through Henryville, it hit the southern part of our county, very near where the school I work at is at. You could see it from a great distance considering the expanse of it. We were in the basement with the students for a long time, though a couple of us had wandered upstairs because the weather radios weren't working well below ground. Afterward, they were asking for anyone with first aid experience to go to Henryville. Immediately afterward, no one was sure what the damage had been. I'll never forget going in there. Army helicopters overhead. People wandering about. Thankfully, the casualties were minimal. The devastation was horrific. I didn't take many pictures out of respect for the events, but I did take 4 as I was leaving once enough medical staff had arrived that volunteers were no longer needed. Pics __________________ The Field Generals and Statis Pro Basketball Super League

05-06-2016, 02:02 PM	#17
CrimsonFox Head Coach Join Date: Dec 2009	I thought that said "...in prison"

05-06-2016, 02:36 PM	#19
vex Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Tulsa	Lived in Oklahoma or Texas my entire life and have yet to see one. They are always (luckily) about 10-15 miles away from me when they do touch down nearby. I have seen the aftermath of many tornadoes though. The main ones being the Joplin, MO tornado and the Picher, OK tornado. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Joplin_tornado https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picher,_Oklahoma Last edited by vex : 05-06-2016 at 02:40 PM.

05-06-2016, 04:29 PM	#20
korme Go Reds Join Date: May 2001 Location: Bloodbuzz Ohio	Seems like a roundabout way of punching your own ticket.

05-06-2016, 06:00 PM	#21
Senator FOFC's Elected Representative Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: The stars at night; are big and bright	Was a part of the Fort Worth Tornado of March 2000. Lived close to downtown. Got a nice little shot to the head from a roofing tile when it passed by me. __________________ "i have seen chris simms play 4-5 times in the pros and he's very clearly got it. he won't make a pro bowl this year, but it'll come. if you don't like me saying that, so be it, but its true. we'll just have to wait until then" imettrentgreen "looking at only ten games, and oddly using a median only, leaves me unmoved generally" - Quiksand

05-07-2016, 12:17 AM	#22
Wolfpack Pro Rookie Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Raleigh, NC	Closest I've been to a tornado was the one that skipped through Raleigh a few years back, though I'm sure I've had one or two invade my dreams. I've also been through several tropical storms, the most devastating of which was Fran back in 1996. Pretty much the strongest winds I've experienced in person, up around 50-60 sustained most of the night it made landfall. There may have been a few gust fronts that rivaled that in a short burst.

05-07-2016, 12:22 AM	#23
Antmeister Pro Starter Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: At the corner of Beat Street and Electric Avenue	I know that people have a fascination with this type of stuff, but I steer far away from it whenever I could. There are just too many variables that could go badly for something that is unpredictable. I already lived through earthquakes (in California), monsoons (in Arizona) and enough floods (Texas) that I have no desire to see a tornado live. __________________ "I'm ready to bury the hatchet, but don't fuck with me" - Schmidty "Box me once, shame on Skydog. Box me twice. Shame on me. Box me 3 times, just fucking ban my ass...." - stevew

05-07-2016, 01:07 AM	#24
Solecismic Solecismic Software Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Canton, OH	Haven't seen one. I was sitting at my desk a couple of years ago during what I thought was a mild thunderstorm at about 2:00 a.m. and I heard what sounded like a train in the distance. I was thinking to myself, "if there were any warnings out tonight, that could be a tornado." It lasted about a minute. Came about a half-mile from my house. It somehow missed a direct hit on anyone's house, but it took out a whole lot of trees. If any of you remember Mickey Stanley from Tiger teams in the '70s, it went right by his house. He has a lot of acreage in the woods behind our neighborhood. Never met him, though. It was about that time I heard he lived there. Very reclusive, lives next door to his daughter, chops a lot of wood (this certainly added to his inventory) and has one of those pay-on-the-honor-system stands by the road.

05-08-2016, 05:42 PM	#25
Senator FOFC's Elected Representative Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: The stars at night; are big and bright	Extreme up-close video of tornado near Wray, CO! - YouTube __________________ "i have seen chris simms play 4-5 times in the pros and he's very clearly got it. he won't make a pro bowl this year, but it'll come. if you don't like me saying that, so be it, but its true. we'll just have to wait until then" imettrentgreen "looking at only ten games, and oddly using a median only, leaves me unmoved generally" - Quiksand

05-08-2016, 06:05 PM	#26
Mizzou B-ball fan General Manager Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Kansas City, MO	Seen several in my life. Thankfully, none have ended up where I was. Closest I've ever been was about 1/2 mile away from a F3. It was also one of the scariest because it happened during the night and the sirens didn't go off. I heard a lot of wind so I looked outside and saw the trees bending about. Didn't know it was an actual tornado until the next morning. It took the roofs off of homes not that far away from us.

05-09-2016, 10:13 AM	#27
revrew Team Chaplain Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Just outside Des Moines, IA	I've seen a couple. Unfortunately, the last one I saw (in 2005), was tearing through our house at the time. Now, my entire family and I were about 4 miles away, watching from our van. A friend had called on our cell phone when we were on the way home and warned us to pull over. We did. Good thing, too. Our small Iowa town was ripped in half, one lady lost her life, and what was left of our house had to be demolished. __________________ Winner of 6 FOFC Scribe Awards, including 3 Gold Scribes Founder of the ZFL, 2004 Golden Scribe Dynasty of the Year Now bringing The Des Moines Dragons back to life, and the joke's on YOU, NFL! I came to the Crossroad. I took it. And that has made all the difference.

05-09-2016, 10:26 AM	#28
Kodos Resident Alien Join Date: Jun 2001	Yeesh. Glad you guys weren't home. __________________ Author of The Bill Gates Challenge, as well as other groundbreaking dynasties.

05-09-2016, 11:22 AM	#29
CU Tiger Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Backwoods, SC	Late 80s. I was living with a foster family on a small rural farm in SC. There was "our" house. Then directly acorss the drive way (which was ~1/2 mile long) was a huge field, probably 40 acres. Then the neighbor's house which you could see across the field if it wasn't cotton season. Then "behind" that field was my "uncle's" house. As this family tended to do in the summer everyone was gathered around the covered porch and talking. Storm blew up and we watched the funnel cloud form across the road. It cut right across that huge field, turned and went right through the neighbor's house, picking up a large chunk of it and scattering it across that field and the uncle's yard. I remember even as a 10 year old kid thinking how surreal it was that none of these folks were excited just silently watching in awe. The mother sat there and prayed and no one said a word. Probably 10 minutes past. No one ran, screamed even seemingly acknowledged it. Then the "uncle" said, "Well God blessed us that it hit while Lee (neighbor) was at work. I guess I better go and try to make some progress on my yard as Im sure he will need all our help the next week getting his house back in the dry" I actually have started typing this story twice and stopped because it seems so ridiculous and surreal as to be unbelievable. But that is the way these folks were. Never got excited or hurried about anything. I honestly think if their own home had been destroyed it would have been the same reaction, "Well better get started rebuilding"

05-09-2016, 11:39 AM	#30
Kodos Resident Alien Join Date: Jun 2001	In some ways, maybe that's a better way to react. __________________ Author of The Bill Gates Challenge, as well as other groundbreaking dynasties.

05-09-2016, 12:15 PM	#31
BishopMVP Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Concord, MA/UMass	Never a real one as I live in Mass, but I've seen a borderline F0/F1 when I was watching a UMass lacrosse game. Picked up some metal scaffolding and nearly crushed a person... but luckily it was the mascot, so they had plenty of padding. Then last summer I was helping run a tournament from a gazebo in the middle of Ft. Devens when a windburst came straight through. 70mph winds and driving rain one direction for 1-2 minute, flipped immediately into 70mph winds and driving rain the other direction for 1-2 minutes. Dropped about 2.5-3 inches of rain in less than 5 minutes. Had another one of those go through a couple miles away, still surreal to see even 2 years later it's a clean line of devastation across the hilltop.

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