We think we're in charge. We're not

This past Thursday was a hot and sunny day. Rain was in the forecast, but it didn't seem like it was a possibility. At some point after 3, the sun was replaced with an ominous black. I was thinking of my eldest lamblet who was walking home from school. I knew she didn't have an umbrella. Then the sirens went off. I ran for the car hoping I would find her, wondering if I was stupid for leaving. She was a mere house away from home when I went out on the driveway. I hauled her and the dog into the basement when it sounded as if all hell broke loose. Not a more than 5 or so minutes later I went up to see what it was. It had not sounded like a tornado, but stuff was obviously being tossed about. The patio chairs were everywhere, the garbage cans were across the street in the neighbor's yard and trees had been beaten to pieces. Although there were tornadoes in the area, none had touched down. We had been hit with freakish, out of nowhere, 80 mph winds. The 6 inches of rain came throughout the rest of the evening.

Luckily, we were all safe. My eldest lamblet got home, Grizzled made it home many hours later on a train that was still working and was able to go across a bridge that was not yet washed out. Our youngest lamblet spent the worst portion of the storm on school lockdown. After she was finally released she was driven home, along with many other freaked out kids, by a bus driver that had to improvise his route due to the fact that nearly every street was blocked. He got her here though. He looked as if he had seen the face of God.

Again, we were very lucky. We were only without electricity for 20 some hours. Many around us still don't have it. Our cable, phones and internet were back up after about 40. The lamblets and I drove around a little bit on Friday since school was closed. Grizzled had gone out earlier in the morning and reported that tree debris was everywhere. You could not look down a street without seeing massive tree debris or entire uprooted trees. I thought he was exaggerating. He was not. Almost every street I went down looked like it was lined with lovely hedgerows, the hedgerows being 5 ft piles of limbs, leaves, etc. The streets were all covered with wood splinters. It looked like a mulching truck had been driving around with it's back gate open. It was amazing. I've seen tornado damage, I've seen storm damage, but I have never seen so much tree damage... block after block for a couple of miles in any direction of severely damaged trees.

I keep stressing how lucky we were. Unlike many others who experience damage from storms, my family sprang back fairly fast. The day or two though without power, a connection to the outside world, no use of gas stations or stores, was a reminder of how fragile our daily framework is and how so much of our comfort is just smoke and mirrors.

Comments

[daveminnj]

yowza.
i'm glad you're all ok.
yikes.

[blue girl]

Sounds pretty intense.

Did you have that moment with your neighbors....that when it was all over, everyone just sort of came creeping out of their homes slowly staring at the damage then at each other?

I'm glad you guys are all ok! The kids will be talking, talking away tomorrow! Big stories will be flying for awhile.

[grassshopper]

So glad you're okay! I hope everyone is. What a scare! Were your lamblets terrified or oblivious? So often when I was little and in actual danger, the severity of the situation totally eluded me. What really terrified me were invariably figments. For all I know that may still be true.
I'm truly relieved to hear you're all okay, though. And it really does sound as if no preparation or forethought would've helped much. Time and luck being on your side was what you needed here, and what, thank God, you got.

[idyllopus]

We had the same once happen in a neighborhood of ours here, trees pulled out of the ground everywhere. Small tornadoes were seen in the area but, as with your situation, they said none of them had touched down and the destruction was instead caused by wind shears. I'd not realized the kind of damage they can do.

Am so glad your eldest one wasn't caught in the storm midway home from school and that everyone's safe.

[Snag]

Glad you made it through the storm alright. It's always a little post-apocalyptic to come out of the basement after one of these and see so much scattered around like toys.

[Mendacious D]

Eek!

Glad you're all ok.

[Chuckles]

I'm glad everyone was safe.

I took a walk as soon as the winds died down after Isabelle blew the DC metro area apart and it was about the same as your story, except with a few more live wires within a block of my apartment. They were flopping all over and setting fire to the broken branches. Aside from not having power for 5 days, it was kinda cool.

[Mary Jane]

I'm really glad to hear you are all ok. The smoke screens are getting thinner all the time. Growing up in an America where you were under the illusion the Govt. had your back covered unfortunately leaves a lot of us without a catastrophic home back up system. I for one am trying to find my way into the new world mentality and get ready for the day the shit really hits the fan. We have had a few major storms here lately, and were also kind of lucky... power outage, only 18 hours. Others... 3 days.

[Kathleen]

peeling back the curtain of our civilization...

so glad you are ok! sending some good thoughts to you and your neighbors!

[Brando]

The straight line winds are the worst because you so rarely have a warning and they can do tornado-like damage. I am glad you and your family were alright!

[fish]

Just one of the many reasons I find the Midwest so scary.

[Jennifer]

And there are MANY reasons. :)

[The Uncanny Canadian]

I'm so glad to hear that you and the herd are all safe. I have never been around a storm like that, but saw some of the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, and know how frightening that really is.

[Shayera]

Holy smokes! That sounds awful. So glad to hear you are all fine.

[Claire]

Glad to hear you all made it through the storm. I had an interesting view of the beginning of it and then got caught in it like an idiot without an umbrella. I haven't been that wet fully clothed in quite a while. Probably since the last time I got pushed into a pool.

Also, I am no longer a Chicagoan. My emotions haven't caught up with me. I think it's the change in time zone.