Game of Twister!
Well, our Saturday was quite eventful out here on the Plains thanks to the storms KS tossed up our way. Ben was out on a trip with the confirmation kids in the next state. Kids and I were at home and just finished dinner when the tornado watch came in for our county. A tornado was spotted 2 miles south of one the closer towns to us and it was headed Northeast - our direction!! I scooped up Dominic and the radio and phone, and with Evelyn on my heels, we headed into the basement. This is the first time since we've lived here that we have had to take cover. Although, interestingly enough, when Ben first came out here to visit the congregations after receiving his first call, there was also a tornado warning when he arrived. He knocked on the door of the congregation trustee's house, they let him in and showed him right to the basement. Good thing we're not superstitious or we would have thought moving out here to this call was a bad omen!
This was a first time for the kids. At first they didn't like the idea of staying in the basement but we said a prayer and they were soon distracted anyway. Luckily not all of the summer toys were taken out of the basement yet, so there was plenty to play with. They had fun coloring with sidewalk chalk, playing in the empty pool, riding the tricycle and I even got out the Easter eggs and baskets that had just been stored away for them to go egg hunting. By the time the warning was over the kids did not want to come out of the basement! We were just glad the first tornado had passed!
So I let them stay there for a bit while I checked the weather on TV and called Ben to let him know it would be safe to come back home after he dropped the confirmation kids off at their homes in the Brown church's town. Not much later he called me back and let me know that as soon at they got to the mall where they planned on having dinner, the mall was closing the doors and the siren was sounding. Ben convinced the mall officials to let them in to seek shelter. Okay, second tornado dodged! As that warning expired, a warning for the Brown Church's town was posted. So I called Ben and let him know not to go there; my call caught them just as they were about to get on the highway. Good timing. They spent some time at one of the confirmation kid's grandmother's house who happens to live not far from the mall. After another hour, they finally make the 45 minute drive back to the Brown church. By then a tornado warning was re-issued for our county, so the kids and I head back into the basement. Yes, tornado number three successfully avoided! Talk about a real game of Twister! I am just so glad that we have a cell phone otherwise Pastor and the confirmation kids would have driven right into the middle of a tornado-producing storm. That's a scary thought!
Finally the weather calmed down but now we're under a constant flood warning. In that one night we got about nine inches of rain. It rained all yesterday too. On the way home yesterday, Ben had to take a detour since the highway he normally takes was closed because of flooding in the town we live closest to. I'm glad we live on the top of a rolling hill. Today has just been occasional sprinkles but the ground is absolutely soaked. Thankfully no one was killed in these storms, just some building damages here and there. The biggest problems have been from the floods following the storms. One town was covered under four foot of water and several other areas have been evacuated until the waters recede.
Blizzards, Tornadoes, Floods... What's in store for the rest of the year (I'm nearly afraid to ask)?
Trusting in God's Mercy.
This was a first time for the kids. At first they didn't like the idea of staying in the basement but we said a prayer and they were soon distracted anyway. Luckily not all of the summer toys were taken out of the basement yet, so there was plenty to play with. They had fun coloring with sidewalk chalk, playing in the empty pool, riding the tricycle and I even got out the Easter eggs and baskets that had just been stored away for them to go egg hunting. By the time the warning was over the kids did not want to come out of the basement! We were just glad the first tornado had passed!
So I let them stay there for a bit while I checked the weather on TV and called Ben to let him know it would be safe to come back home after he dropped the confirmation kids off at their homes in the Brown church's town. Not much later he called me back and let me know that as soon at they got to the mall where they planned on having dinner, the mall was closing the doors and the siren was sounding. Ben convinced the mall officials to let them in to seek shelter. Okay, second tornado dodged! As that warning expired, a warning for the Brown Church's town was posted. So I called Ben and let him know not to go there; my call caught them just as they were about to get on the highway. Good timing. They spent some time at one of the confirmation kid's grandmother's house who happens to live not far from the mall. After another hour, they finally make the 45 minute drive back to the Brown church. By then a tornado warning was re-issued for our county, so the kids and I head back into the basement. Yes, tornado number three successfully avoided! Talk about a real game of Twister! I am just so glad that we have a cell phone otherwise Pastor and the confirmation kids would have driven right into the middle of a tornado-producing storm. That's a scary thought!
Finally the weather calmed down but now we're under a constant flood warning. In that one night we got about nine inches of rain. It rained all yesterday too. On the way home yesterday, Ben had to take a detour since the highway he normally takes was closed because of flooding in the town we live closest to. I'm glad we live on the top of a rolling hill. Today has just been occasional sprinkles but the ground is absolutely soaked. Thankfully no one was killed in these storms, just some building damages here and there. The biggest problems have been from the floods following the storms. One town was covered under four foot of water and several other areas have been evacuated until the waters recede.
Blizzards, Tornadoes, Floods... What's in store for the rest of the year (I'm nearly afraid to ask)?
Trusting in God's Mercy.
Comments
Stay alert.
love,
Anastasia