The photo above, is the view of the sunrise from our daughter's back porch.
The view back in February, when they moved in.
This is Kansas.
And Saturday, when we were out on a VERY much smaller
Wine and Wildflower tour, Kansas was about to be hit with severe weather.
On our way home from dinner, we got a message from our daughter. They had gathered up the kids and dogs, and were headed for the Methodist Church...to the storm shelter that is there.
They have no basement, at their house.
They have no basement, at their house.
Power was out all over the area, but we could still get texts....for a while.
Very early on Sunday morning, we got the message that they were back home, and safe.
The dawn brought the reality of what had happened around them.
The fire chief, and sheriff were making rounds, to check on the status of the community.
And, letting people know just what had happened....that THREE tornadoes had touched down around them....one moving on to Wichita, doing more damage.
That building you see in the photo above, is a barn that is about 150 yards from their porch.
Half of it is gone. A house to the left of the photo, is completely gone. The people there hid in the basement and are ok...except, of course, their house is gone.
All together, in this small town of 400+ people, 25 homes were badly damaged....13 made unliveable, or completely gone. A farm nearby, where the people made their living from growing hogs, is gone...house, barns, hogs...everything. Two of the students in our granddaughter's class, lost their homes.
Thankfully, here in this small town, there were few injuries...and, those were minor.
The warning system worked. Everyone got to safety.
You won't hear about these losses on the national television...or maybe, not even local.
The communities out there are too small....and, there were no deaths.
We are very grateful that our daughter and family are safe.
So close...too close.
We're praying for those who lost their homes, and businesses.
And, for those in Oklahoma, whose families didn't fare as well.
These storms are violent reminders of how powerful Nature is.
It's something we're wise to never forget.
Stay Safe...
~~Linda~~
The fire chief, and sheriff were making rounds, to check on the status of the community.
And, letting people know just what had happened....that THREE tornadoes had touched down around them....one moving on to Wichita, doing more damage.
That building you see in the photo above, is a barn that is about 150 yards from their porch.
Half of it is gone. A house to the left of the photo, is completely gone. The people there hid in the basement and are ok...except, of course, their house is gone.
All together, in this small town of 400+ people, 25 homes were badly damaged....13 made unliveable, or completely gone. A farm nearby, where the people made their living from growing hogs, is gone...house, barns, hogs...everything. Two of the students in our granddaughter's class, lost their homes.
Thankfully, here in this small town, there were few injuries...and, those were minor.
The warning system worked. Everyone got to safety.
You won't hear about these losses on the national television...or maybe, not even local.
The communities out there are too small....and, there were no deaths.
We are very grateful that our daughter and family are safe.
So close...too close.
We're praying for those who lost their homes, and businesses.
And, for those in Oklahoma, whose families didn't fare as well.
These storms are violent reminders of how powerful Nature is.
It's something we're wise to never forget.
Stay Safe...
~~Linda~~
Oh, Linda that is so heartbreaking even when I don't know anyone. I can only imagine how hard it is to see this now. Over the years we have lived in communities hit by tornadoes, but we have been fortunate.
ReplyDeleteSo thankful that everyone in your daughter's community is safe.
So glad that your daughter and family are safe.
ReplyDeleteVery apropos that last week's NOVA was about massive tornadoes and how the scientists still don't understand them. Thankfully we've at least gotten better about warning - the average warning time is now 13 minutes whereas there was no warning in the 50s. Of course, there are still problems with people not reacting fast enough to the warnings and instead waiting to see the tornado before going to shelter (by then, especially in areas where you don't have basements, it may be too late).
Glad to hear that you and yours are safe. Those storms were quite something. I hope the communities will rally and recover soon. And, I'm glad the warnings worked.
ReplyDeleteSo glad your family members are safe! How scary for all.
ReplyDeleteSo scary. I'm glad you and your family are safe. My heart goes out to those who lost homes and were injured.
ReplyDeleteHow terrible. But thank goodness no lives were lost. I'm glad your daughter's home was spared and they are safe and sound.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, and thought-provoking. Being thankful for what we don't have that we don't want. Glad the people are OK in their area, as the property can be repaired and replaced more easily, at least I hope. It is often so benign here, I often forget what people go through in the area where I once lived and traversed.
ReplyDeleteI just can't imagine how I would react. I have a great fear of that kind of storms. Fortunately, we don't have tornados here. This is good news that everyone survived. I hope that people that got injured and/or lost everyting will recover fast with the help of their families, friends and neighbors that can help. Good news that your family is safe too. 8,
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your good wishes.
ReplyDeleteWe're SO glad they are safe. It's sad to see people lose their homes, and sometimes their means of living, as well. But, things can be replaced...people cannot.
Let's hope these new warning systems keep working.