As I write this, severe thunderstorms are off to my west. Arkansas and Oklahoma are picking up the pieces from last night’s killer storm. Meteorologists are predicting a 90% chance of doom — and the pucker factor at a 7 out of 10. There is a moderate chance of chaos and my stomach is in knots.
The forecast models are similar to the day the Yazoo City Tornado cut across the state and the storms that caused the 1979 flood.
Yes, it’s another severe weather day in Mississippi.
Or as we call it Spring.
I admit, I get a little freaked about tornadoes. Part of it was because of the wicked tornado in the Wizard of Oz. That scared me more than a 1,000 flying monkeys. And part of my neurosis is because of a very real tornado that took down my basketball goal as it flew over my parent’s house. The early 70’s were a violent time for tornadoes in North Georgia. They left a mark.
I don’t care Sam I Am, I don’t like tornadoes with a goat or in a boat.
So living in the heart of Dixie Alley (the southern version of Tornado Alley) doesn’t make for stress-free living. I was scared crazy after the first few tornadoes hit after I moved here. I used to freak when a tornado was 50 miles away. My weather radio would go off if a cow farted in Port Gibson. I’d have to scrape myself off the ceiling.
But I’ve mellowed a little bit. Maybe it is fatalism setting in. Maybe. Now if it is one neighborhood over and heading another direction, I go back to sleep.
Today, though, I’m paying attention. I’m watching the radar and am keeping an eye to the sky. I want to take a moment to thank all the meteorologists for their hard work during this outbreak. I know we give the TV weather folks crap when they cut into our favorite programs because a tornado is tearing up a bean field — but believe me, if your house is near that bean field, you are grateful. And the folks at the National Weather Service do a great job. And I also wanted to thank all the first responders who will dig us out of the rubble. Thanks to the emergency management teams who are coordinating any potential response necessary. I hope you are bored today.
Tornadoes show man’s weakness in the face of nature. But our response shows our true power is our compassion for fellow man.
The Wizard of Oz had same impact on me as well. It could be the best tornado awareness program for children available. Seems to be consistently be the first formative factor for people fascinated by weather. I hear it time and time again.
I remember driving southbound I-55 weeks after Yazoo City Tornado in 2010 – going to the Gulf Coast. Half mile wide swath of land across the highway gone as far as the eye could see. Like God took out his “holy weed wacker” and did some landscaping. Stopped my vehicle took pictures. Only thing I could think of was “Oh my God – Holy Cr*p!.” Inspires and humbles me knowing how miniscule I am compared to nature’s power. Stay safe… ~Larry
Drive the Natchez Trace north from Hwy 82 to Tupelo. A tornado went right up the center stripe and wiped out over 10 miles of woods. Then you get to where the Yazoo City Tornado, still on the ground after crossing the state, took out a very similar notch to the I-55 one. You’re right, Larry, it inspires and humbles.
Well said Marshall. I pray for all that are and will be in the paths of these storms. May they take heed to the warnings and go for safety. Prayers for the people in Mayflower. AR that have already received damage and loss of lives.
Tornados are scary because they are so unpredictable as the one that hit my neighborhood in Clinton, March 2011. It hopped and skipped, dropped huge trees, flipped a house with an elderly woman inside–thankfully she was unharmed. It raised back up and past over one of our schools while children were present, then zapped beautiful oaks at the cemetery. No rhyme or reason to it’s destruction.
As frustrating as it may be when our shows are interrupted, we actually have some of the best weather professionals in the nation. Unless you live here, it’s difficult to understand the tremendous changes we experience even in a day. I had to chuckle yesterday morning when one of the church ladies said, “I had to leave my phone at home because I couldn’t figure out how to make those alerts stop sounding!”
Tupelo Mississippi was just hit about an hour ago. Roared through Pontotoc in the air and touched down there. Vanelli’s restaurant is gone other buildings destroyed folks have been killed. Will post more out as I learn. I hunkered down in our courthouse basement for an hour with my dog and a hundred other people.