Ask the Girl Who Lived Through a Tornado

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

The title doesn’t do it justice, so my bad.

A few of you still know me, but I am a long-time Doper and I live in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. On April 27th, last Wednesday, I was home with my little sister when the EF4 tornado tore through Tuscaloosa. My neighborhood was in its path.

I am sure I am not the only one here who has survived a tornado, but I’ve been asked so many questions IRL about the experience that I thought I would open it up here too. This may be good for me, as I’m still trying to process exactly what happened to me, my sister, my city, and my state.

So…I’ll open it up to you.

2

Hi Nocturne! I don’t have any questions, but I’m glad you’re (relatively) okay.

3

Where were you in your house when the tornado came through? Tell us what it was like.

So glad you and your sister made it through.

Hope everyone will also visit the thread that Ogre posted about making donations to help people in Alabama and Mississippi (and actually make donations, of course).

4

I don’t have any specific questions, but would love to hear your story. Glad you made it through OK. I can’t imagine what it must have been like.

5

Well…to be honest, it was the most frightening experience of my life. Granted, I have not had many frightening experiences, but I’ve had a few, and this trumped all of them put together for sure.

My work had let me go early that day, around 3pm. So I got home about 3:30. My sister was already back from her trip to the beach (she had just taken Step 1 of her medical boards). I remember she could not make our satellite service work and when I got home, I fixed the TV so we could watch it.

The tornado at first seemed that it would take a different track down Skyland Boulevard/downtown Tuscaloosa rather than around our neighborhood in midtown Tuscaloosa. That was the last word we heard before our cable and power went out. A few minutes later my mother called me and told me to get in a safe place, that it was headed straight for us.

Of course, I said, “But the weatherman said a few minutes ago that it was headed down Skyland…” Then my sister, who had stepped out the front door, came running in screaming that it was headed right for us. Luckily, we had already stuffed my interior bathroom full of pillows, towels, and blankets just in case. (My poor mother. The last thing she heard of that phone call was me screaming.)

I tried to get my cat but he hid under the bed (he’s easily panicked). So I ran into the bathroom with my sister and shut the door. Then it came. It sounded just like a freight train, like everyone has always said. We were terrified, sure that the house was two seconds from falling in on us. We could hear all kinds of noises over the din, mostly of things hitting the house and surrounding houses. My little sister asked me, “Are we going to die?” My heart broke because I was sure that we would, but I couldn’t tell her that. I said to her, “No! We are NOT going to die. We are going to graduate (she’s a med student, I’m a business student) and get married and have babies and everything is going to be fine. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

(The good part was that I was completely right, even though I did not think I was going to be.)

6

Sorry, I hit enter too soon!

Anyway, once the tornado had passed, we ventured outside the bathroom. My cat was safe underneath my sister’s bed, just traumatized and would NOT come out. We checked the interior of the house for damage–mostly broken windows and debris (as well as a demolished storm door). Then we heard screaming from outside.

My sister got out there first–one of our neighbors had been at another neighbor’s house during the tornado and was trying desperately to get into his own house where his dog was, but the tornado had made his door and garage impassable. My sister (who is a tiny girl) went and got an old comforter, then helped him break a window and used the comforter to protect herself as she shimmied in and got the dog. She managed to cut her knee open to the bone doing so, despite the comforter.

Meanwhile, some of our neighbors who had not been at home arrived. One of them, the girl who lived directly next-door, was frantic about her cat–so she ran inside her house. After a few minutes I heard her screaming so I ran up her drive to find out what was wrong and I ended up stepping on a nail which went pretty deep into my foot. I managed to limp inside the house and get her calmed down and find her cat for her.

Our neighborhood was impossible to escape (except by foot) for a few hours. Everyone kept saying another storm was headed straight for us. Everyone was terrified. We thought we were trapped, but we went around making sure everyone was okay and accounted for (especially because we have so many senior citizens in our neighborhood). Our house, while some of the roof was gone, was one of the relatively safe places in the neighborhood so we offered it as a place to say in case another storm blew through.

7

Wow. Thank you for sharing. A good friend from Tuscaloosa flew home to be with his mother, whose neighborhood was devastated but her house was spared. He was helping with recovery and on the lookout for looters. How have the past few days been for you and your neighborhood?

8

I’m fascinated to see that the only injuries you mention happened in the aftermath, while helping people to sort things out and get to their pets. I hope you both have up-to-date tetanus shots. How awesome of you both to help out your neighbors!

Your mother must have been beside herself with worry about you. When were you able to talk to her and let her know you were all right?

I’m really glad you and your sister are okay after such a horrifying experience!

9

Wow. I’m glad you’re okay.

And get a tetanus shot for that foot if it’s been longer than 10 years since your last one. Tetanus is an even crappier way to die!

10

How terrifying that must have been.

How long were you hunkered down in your bunker?

11

Holy smokes, Nocturne, that’s some story. Have you been sleeping okay since? I sure hope this isn’t playing in your mind when you lay down at night.

What was it like when you saw your mother again? Lots of tears and hugs, I would expect.

I’m really, really glad you and your sis came out of this ordeal okay. I’ve chased a few of them before but never came near as close as you and particularly never with one that freakin’ huge.

12

Jeezum crow. How’s the house doing? And the neighbors? Are you seeing any assistance from relief services or anything?

13

Nocturne, when I was eleven a huge tornado went through my own city, Topeka, Kansas. Afterwards, when we went outside(our house was not hit) the sky was the oddest color, kind of a yellowish-green. Did you see anything like that? Over the years I’ve heard other people remark on the phenomenom of sky color.

14

Nocturne! I’m so glad you made it through. I had no idea you still lived in Tuscaloosa. Let me know if you need anything.

15

Ogre, can’t help but wonder because of your earlier thread… did the 'nado get that big, old oak on campus that the fella poured poison on?

16

AIUI the greenish color of the sky with severe storms indicates a lot of hail.

17

That was actually on the campus of Auburn University, about 125 miles to the southeast. They weren’t, as far as I know, in the path of any of the storms.

18

I feel pretty certain that it was. When I stuck my head out and heard the tornado pass, the sky was that very color. Eerie.

19

Hey everyone–

No worries about the tetanus, I updated my shot two days after the storm, so I’m fine! My sister had a tetanus shot when she first entered med school two years ago, so she was covered as well. Watching the doctor stitch her knee up when we finally sought medical attention that night was pretty amazing.

As far as the sky, my sister said it was a strange greenish color as she was watching the tornado come for us. It was a similar color I believe when we stepped out. Eerie.

We were in the bathroom hiding for at most five minutes. It felt like an eternity, for sure.

As far as the neighborhood goes, a few houses were completely destroyed and will have to be bulldozed soon, but those houses were uninhabited at the time. Other houses, I’m not so sure–some of my neighbors have significant structural damage and I’m not sure how they’re going to fix it.

My neighborhood is split between grad-student renters and elderly owners (we are the only grad-student OWNERS in the neighborhood). Some of our neighbors will not come back, which makes me sad…we had just started to get to know them.

I also should say that Javier Arenas (of the Kansas City Chiefs) lives in my neighborhood in the off-season. He supposedly got “looted” the night of the tornado, but it was actually some of his in-town friends coming to get his stuff and make sure it was safe.

As far as relief services…some of us have had FEMA out here but to be honest, our neighborhood is pretty forgotten. We haven’t had any police presence and we had NO emergency workers or medics come to us the night of the storm (which is why we had to wait several hours for someone to be able to get us and transport my sister to the hospital…police weren’t sending ANYONE in the neighborhood but they were by-God blocking everyone from coming in as well). So beyond some FEMA claims adjustors, we’re not really looked-after. It sucks a bit because while higher-impact neighborhoods DEFINITELY need help, those of us with moderate needs are pretty overlooked. I mean, yes I do have homeowners’ and car insurance, which is awesome, but I still have deductibles to meet and my car will probably be totaled, which means I won’t have the funds to buy a new car. HOWEVER–that can be dealt with. It’s just another set of stresses caused by the tornado, you know? It’s worse for some of my elderly neighbors, some of whom live alone and seriously need assistance right now. Those of us still left in the neighborhood are trying to look out for them.

As for my mother, yes, there were tears and hugs when my sister and I saw her and my father again. There were tears and hugs between my sister and her boyfriend. The next time I see mine (we’re long-distance for the moment) I am sure there will be tears and hugs.

Sorry about the super-long post, just wanted to address everyone’s questions so far.

20

Nocturne–I’m glad you’re alive.