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View Full Version : We just survived a tornado!



oldred
07-27-2014, 09:49 PM
My wife and I were keeping an eye on the developing storm system here in East Tn and were aware of a tornado warning in the area, we could hear the roaring and see the system coming so we decided to get into our truck and drive down our driveway to the lower side of the hill on which we live because it would provide shelter from the wind. My wife was hesitant to run out into the rain so I first insisted then got a bit forceful as the roaring got closer but we discussed it a bit too long and the twister arrived just as my wife decided I was right and it was time to go! A large Walnut tree smashed into the house just as we ran for the truck then several large tree limbs fell onto the road almost blocking our way but I managed to drive over them and we made our way down the hill and to the safety of the sheltered area as the twister passed almost overhead. No one was hurt and my wife, who is very strong emotionally, is taking it quite well and as I type this she is tending to our cats who seem far more shaken than we do. All is well now as we have a large gasoline welder/generator for power tonight and plenty of fuel, the property damage while fairly heavy is well insured so other than a lot of excitement we really suffered no loss but some of our neighbors might not have been so lucky. I saw emergency vehicles of all sorts including ambulances and the rescue squad but a person I spoke with at a local store after the storm passed said that most of the commotion was what he called a general response to the storm damage and he had not heard of any serious injuries on his scanner, I sure hope that's the case. Anyway my wife and I are fine now but it sure was scary here a few hours ago!

375RUGER
07-27-2014, 09:52 PM
Glad all is well!

Pb2au
07-27-2014, 09:52 PM
Glad to hear you and your wire made it out safe.
stuff can be repaired and replaced. Keep us up to speed

labradigger1
07-27-2014, 09:55 PM
Glad you and yours are ok! We are in wv. And it is just now on us with the strong storms. We are crossing our fingers and have the safe room ready and stocked with food, water, mre's, meds and first aid stuff. I have seen two tornados in my life and that was enough!
Once again, glad you are ok.
Lab

big bore 99
07-27-2014, 09:58 PM
Sorry to hear about the damage. At least everyone is ok. Sure is windy and storming out here near Asheville,NC.

462
07-27-2014, 09:59 PM
Glad you are safe and not injured.

WILCO
07-27-2014, 10:02 PM
Man-0-man!!!!!!! Glad you're well!

Ben
07-27-2014, 10:06 PM
Thanks be to God that the 2 of you are safe.

Ben

Bzcraig
07-27-2014, 10:08 PM
Wow, glad all will be well when everything is put back together! Thank you Lord!

oldred
07-27-2014, 10:20 PM
We are settled in for the night but it's now storming again and that large Walnut tree is lying across the front part of the house with part of the roof damaged underneath, fortunately the rest of the house is livable for the time being but we are still under a tornado warning for another few hours.

crowbuster
07-27-2014, 10:34 PM
Good lord! wife has an uncle in vonore, hope all is well with them. Glad you came through and hope there are no more in store for you.

aspangler
07-27-2014, 10:43 PM
You must be close to me. Tornado just down the road in Gray. Missed us but as I type this I can hear another storm on the way. Glad you are ok. Property damage can be fixed. Death is a little more permanent. Even injury can be permanent. Thank God for the blessing.

RED333
07-27-2014, 10:55 PM
We are getting hammed right now as well, just wind and rain, not what yall had.
be Safe

yancey
07-27-2014, 11:21 PM
Good to hear you folks are Ok !

nhrifle
07-27-2014, 11:32 PM
You know the forum rules -- without pics it didn't happen! :kidding:

Seriously though, very glad you made it through alive and well. Prayers for all in the path of mother nature's wrath.

ph4570
07-27-2014, 11:42 PM
Good to hear you are not harmed. Houses can be repaired often much better and easier than humans.

JeffinNZ
07-27-2014, 11:43 PM
Don't envy being in that position. Glad to hear you are both OK.

jcwit
07-27-2014, 11:48 PM
Thank God everyone is OK. Hope nothing comes to you folks during the night.

MBTcustom
07-27-2014, 11:50 PM
Oldred, and RED333, You are both in my prayers this night. I just read this post to my wife and we are praying for you.
I wish I were closer, I would come help you.

I hope that walnut tree is big enough to get some gunstocks out of!

I'm tracking live Doppler radar. Ya'll better hang onto your butts, cause it looks like your gonna get hammered again.
We are praying! Ya'll take care!

smoked turkey
07-28-2014, 12:26 AM
Living in Southwest Missouri we are very familiar with tornadoes. They are something to take very seriously. Thank the Lord you are safe and have your stuff covered by insurance. Keep dry and God Speed for you in harms way tonight.

TXGunNut
07-28-2014, 12:47 AM
Glad you're OK, better half will probably heed your urgings a bit better next time. ;-) Cats are tough survivors, they're just taking advantage of the situation and getting a little more snuggle time in. Hope the rest of the night is uneventful. Take lots of damage pics and get an estimate or two before you move forward, I hope your insurance covers all you hope it will.

MaryB
07-28-2014, 02:08 AM
Glad you are okay and the house can be repaired. I dodged a bullet in 2011, 95mph straight line winds with a tornado mixed in hit the other side of town, lifted and went over my block and touched down again out in the field. Stripped every last piece of vinyl siding off the house but no other damage except trees. I mainly got the straight line but at one stretch the wind shifted and came from from all 4 directions about 1 minute apart as the tornado passed overhead. Lots of damage all over MN from that one, no power here for 4 days.

RED333
07-28-2014, 07:33 AM
I thank the Lord for another day.
All good here, thanks for thinking of us and the prays.

osteodoc08
07-28-2014, 08:31 AM
Tornados definitely must be respected. Glad y'all are safe.

Moonie
07-28-2014, 09:01 AM
We had one go right over our house a few years ago, wife, dogs, kids and grandkids in the bathroom, oldest son and I were out on a run to the hardware store for something. On our way back powerlines and trees all over the roads, took us 20 minutes to go around town to get back to the house because all the roads from that side of town to the house were impassable. Damage was in the 10's of millions, was on the ground 1/2 mile before it went over our house and came back down 200 yards after it passed over. It was my fault because I wasn't there... Those with wives understand that last bit.

Glad you are ok

nekshot
07-28-2014, 09:04 AM
Thank God you are ok, if you have never heard (i hope you don't) the sound of a rush of freight trains all around you it is hard to imagine what it sounds like. Another time the family was safe in basement and I knew the twister was coming so I ran out to the propane tank to turn it off at tank and a bolt of lightening lit up the sky and right there was a huge funnel and momentarily I froze and could not move, muskrat slide in the pants area for sure!

searcher4851
07-28-2014, 10:12 AM
Glad to hear you're ok, and that the night didn't give you any more surprises.

kfarm
07-28-2014, 01:39 PM
Know how you feel. We had our house hit in 1979. We have rebuilt and pucker up every time a storm comes by. Its sorts like the passing of a family member, the pain eases but you will never forget. Best wishes, glad your safe.

Taylor
07-28-2014, 02:21 PM
No even a drop of rain here in Clarksville.Storms keep missing us,not that I am complaining mind you.When they do hit,they hit hard.Best wishes to you neighbor.

FISH4BUGS
07-28-2014, 06:39 PM
Spent a few years in Leavenworth KS, (or should I say AT Leavenworth) and went through a few tornados in my days there. Very frightening stuff. Glad you are safe.

Brother Bob
07-28-2014, 07:28 PM
Brother, in the future, don't ever pile your family in a vehicle and try to find safety when a tornado is bearing down on you! This is coming from a well seasoning Okie in the middle of Tornado Alley! Get in the center part of your house and cover yourselves up! A vehicle is a deathtrap!

MaryB
07-28-2014, 10:36 PM
One thing I have heard is that using spray foam insulation can really improve the soundness of a structure in a tornado. It acts as a glue and holds things together really well. If I would ever get rich and build a new house it would be foamed inside and use air to air heat exchangers.

oldred
07-29-2014, 11:23 AM
Brother, in the future, don't ever pile your family in a vehicle and try to find safety when a tornado is bearing down on you! This is coming from a well seasoning Okie in the middle of Tornado Alley! Get in the center part of your house and cover yourselves up! A vehicle is a deathtrap!



Normally I would agree 100% but in this case leaving before the twister strike made far more sense, the choice was staying in an old renovated farm house situated high up on a hillside or driving about a 1/4 mile to the safety of a solid limestone sheltered area. There is where we made it just as most of the debris went flying overhead and had my wife and I not took so long in making the decision we would have gotten there even sooner before the first winds hit our house.


The first pic is our place buried under the trees that were blown down, that large Walnut tree across the porch roof was the one that came down as we were leaving, this old man with the bum knees can REALLY move when he has a tree falling right at him!!! My wife was just coming out the front door and I been on the porch waiting for her just as that swirling wind started to twist the tree around, at that point we knew we were too late but after the tree fell we could see the twister bearing down on us and the truck was only a few yards away with the engine already running so we made the dash for it and managed to reach the safety of that sheltered area just as the main whirling debris cluster (for lack of a better description) passed overhead. While the heavy oak framing of house withstood the brunt of the force smaller debris went through like projectiles making a real mess everywhere, there was hardly any spot in the house that would have been safe.

The next two pics are of close neighbors and as can easily be seen we were very lucky and suffered no loss at all compared to what these folks are having to deal with.

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