We're Still Here......

[DianaB]

Whew!!! What a morning it's been!!! We had a storm come in this morning and I don't think that I've ever seen so many flashes in a storm in my whole life! The rain pouring down woke me about 5:15 am. I got up and checked the internet to see what the storm looked like and we had a small amount of quarter sized hail, not much. Glen left for breakfast in town with the guys and I went to bed. About an hour later the wind really picked up and I got up and closed the window in the bedroom. I didn't have my glasses on so I couldn't see real good outside. About 10 minutes later my phone in the basement rang which meant that I didn't have electricity and I decided that I wasn't going to try and run down and answer it. Then my cell phone rang so since it was in the kitchen I went in to answer it and it was Glen wondering if we were alright. I told him that we were fine and he told me that New Albany, a small town that's less than 2 miles from us, was hit by a tornado and that he and Jason, my SIL, were going up there. New Albany is a very small town that has a post office and a church. There's probably about 150 people who live there, maybe. Well, I should say that they HAD a post office and a church. There was one person killed in a trailer house that wasn't hooked down. I'm not convinced that it was a tornado because in Fredonia there's damage too and we're hearing of damage from all over. I think that it was a straight wind. Anyway here's some articles and I have pictures that I'll get put on later......

http://www.kansascity.com/440/story/1186138.html

http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/44587457.html

[Janet]

That sure is a lot of damage for a tornado....I agree with you Diana it was probably straight-line winds. I'm just so thankful you and your family are okay. Looking forward to the pictures you've taken.

[gja1000]

OH GOSH! DIANA, that was quite a storm!!! 120 mph winds - straight or tornadic are REALLY strong! I'm so glad that you are OK! I bet Glen has some stories!

[judy]

How sad that somebody died. I'm so glad that you and yours are all okay. That must have been scary. Did you hear the wind?

[DianaB]

Originally Posted by gja1000

........ I bet Glen has some stories!

Glen didn't say too much but he was really upset over how things were handled. He said that they had a back hoe in moving around debris before they'd even searched to see if people were missing. There was NO searching for survivors. He said that he would NEVER let them come in if it was his family that needed help. He was pretty upset. There may have been some other things but he wasn't saying much about them.

Originally Posted by judy

......... That must have been scary. Did you hear the wind?

It was scary after I'd heard about New Albany. I'd heard the wind and had gotten up to shut the window because it was moving around (it's a Pella window that opens on the side with a crank). I didn't have my glasses on (I can't see piddly without them) but if I would have I probably would have seen the trees bending and things blowing around. We have a brick house and we've got trees all around us so we really didn't feel the wind. There wasn't a roar or anythng, just the sound of a big wind. We did have a lot of small limbs and leaves in the yard so you could see that something had happened. When I heard of New Albany I thought that a tornado had gone over our house then hit them but the damage is too widespread.

It's really sad to think that someone died in this storm so close to us but the lady and her grown sons lived in a trailer house that wasn't anchored down. That's a big no-no. The sons were at work so the lady was home alone. The trailer house wrapped around a tree and some of it hit the corner of the church across the street, which opened it up to the high winds and blew it down. The roof was intact but the walls were gone. I think that the damage to the nearby houses was caused from debris from the trailer house and other things flying about.

1. House damaged by storm with the church in the background in New Albany
2. Another house damaged by storm. Church seen inbetween shop and house.
3. Trees down in New Albany.
4. Trailer house with damage.

I guess that I didn't get any close pictures of the church or of the trailer that was wrapped around the tree. I'll have to check with Jaci and see if she got some.

[DianaB]

1. This pile of debris is from the trailer where the lady died. This stuff was at the bottom of a tree where the trailer house frame was wrapped around it. This is what I get for letting my granddaughter take pictures for me!!!

2.-4. More pictures from New Albany

[DianaB]

1. A pontoon boat and tailer upside down.
2. The post office. If you look closely in front of the safe you'll see that there's a flag that still folded up and sitting on the counter.
3. Post office again.
4. Another house.

[DianaB]

A couple of miles down the road from New Albany we came across a farm that had grain bins scattered all over everywhere. Some had blown across the road and south and some were way across the field to the east. I heard that one of their boys was standing outside when the wind hit and saw them blow away. They also lost a metal barn.

[DianaB]

1.-2. Our courthouse in Fredonia had two trees down in the court yard.
3. Our bank had a small tree down as well. It came up roots and all.
4. The flag on top of one of our mounds really took a beating.

Fredonia and New Albany are about 7 miles apart so you can see that there was widespread damage. There are trees and branches down all over town. We had a friend that had a huge limb go through his roof.

[DianaB]

Here's the tree that fell on our driveway and Jaci taking a picture of it. Glen and the boys got it cleared off pretty quickly. Our pond is just on the other side of it and our drive goes over the pond dam. Glen said that the tree wasn't very good on the bottom anyway so it's not like a healthy tree was blown over.

[Janet]

Wow....what can one say when they see damage like that. I'm amazed that only one person died in that mess.

[gja1000]

WOW! Diana, that's a lot of damage!!! I'm glad you all only lost trees.

[Janet]

They finally showed the damage on our news only they just mentioned Kansas and showed footage of Louisiana.

[DianaB]

I noticed that they only mentioned Kansas too. I think that it's because it was inconvenient for a flim crew to drive out there especially when there was damage so close to other tv stations to report on. It's really been the talk around here, even in my little Sunday School class!!! They all had a story to tell!!!

[Mandy]

That's a lot of damage Diana, i'm glad nothing happend to your house!