Today marks the 7th anniversary of the event that drastically changed my life. On this day, seven years ago (really it was that long ago?) I anxiously awaited that high school highlight...PROM. I had the hot car, hot date, and was ready to go, but mother nature had other plans. Shortly after 9pm (cst) an F4 tornado ripped through my home town leveling a swath of homes and businesses. After a frantic phone call from the parents, I, after convincing some of the chaperone's, headed home to dig my parents out of the basement...they were trapped. Driving home, the landscape before my eyes changed from small town life to war zone HELL.
After surveying the damage the next morning it was and still is hard to fathom that only one person died in this particular storm. There was no warning for this storm as the power had gone out. The town has since moved on, rebuilt, and somewhat recovered. I lost all of my original neighbors that I grew up loving, and to this day only one lives. The rest have passed away all of natural causes, but when I close my eyes I can still picture my town, my neighborhood, and my house just the way it was on that warm and beautiful April afternoon...
Below is the infamous Prom Car...1991 Red Corvette...totaled.
Tornado:
Leaves stood still, and our hearts stood still,
But the sky was a-boil with clouds,
A coppery wrack, and the greenish black
Of shrouds.
We dove for shelter and none too soon.
The universe swayed and swirled,
And the monstrous horn of a unicorn
Gored the world.
-May Williams Ward
This was dads 2001 Chevy Silverado pickup which was parked next to the Corvette. For some reason Mother Nature wanted to play with it. You are looking at the front of the truck.
My house the next morning...
My house again, different angle...The brown truck was sitting on what used to be our front porch.
Aerial shot of the path of destruction. You are looking east, north east in this photo.
Huge burn pits were dug to dump the debris from the storm in. Not the most environmentally friendly option, but every now and then I look the other way.
I call this the tornado money shot. This was a brand new Chevy Tahoe, just down the street from my house.
For a more in depth look at the particular tornado, in particular my story, go to the link below. Just be sure not to laugh!
Video Link
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