Hope no one is in the tornado path

[teejay]

Looking at CNN , that's about the meanest batch of storms I've ever seen ...hope all of are members are away from that area ......200 mph winds ? Unbeleievable !

T

[Charlie B]

We have friends in the area. We think they were north west of the tornado, we are waiting to hear from them. The folks that were hit are someone's friends and family.
My heart goes out to these poor folks, the devastation caused by tornadoes is really indescribable. We saw it first hand in our area in 1985. The pictures don't convey the hopeless feeling you have when seen first hand. I have heard reports 2 schools were hit. I hope they had shelters for the students.
Charlie

[mountaingoatgreg]

This happened just a few miles south of where I work, although I have lived in Tornado Alley for 8 years now it is amazing how quickly things go from fine to total disaster. At this time there are alreasy 51 confirmed deaths many of them children. A very sad day here in Oklahoma.

[Herc Driver]

I hope and pray there are more found alive among the rubble and twisted metal. I can't imagine the fearsome terror a tornado can bring on. Being completely helpless to do much but pray while you sit waiting for what may come must be frightening.

[faraway]

The photos and videos from Moore look terrible. My best wishes.
I am shocked to see a hospital and a school have been destroyed by the tornado.

[cn nutbar]

Our local newspaper and television has been filled with stories and pictures of the unbelievable destruction and sorrows of this community---my thoughts and prayers to all the victims and their families

[Sumpter250]

Of all the possible "bad choices", I would rather ride out a "hurricane sandy" at sea, than be smacked by any tornado, anywhere! :o
It is the concentrated total annihilation caused by a tornado that is so hard to come to terms with.
I can't remember who it was that said it, but I still remember the words; "A tornado is the random act of overwhelming wrath, and violence, by the hand of a bitterly angry Deity." (( or Mother Nature, at "that time of the month" ))

On my trip East ( this May 9-16 ) my Sister took me to the Jersey shore, to see the still remaining destruction.
I grew up on the South Shore of Long Island, I've seen a not small number of Hurricanes. Yes, I do fear Tornadoes.

Prayers for those not yet found, and the families of those who died.
Hopes for the survivors.

[teejay]

On a bit of a different angle , while I do feel for the various people involved , I also have concern for the various pets / animals who must be totally confused if they managed to live through it all . That , and the confusion the various injured people must have as to what the hell happened ? Yes , Mother Nature does have the last say in these things .

T

[Charlie B]

The pets are a big concern to pet owners. We consider our pets family, but we do realise helping rescue humans come first, but don't overlook a furkid in need.
The animal rescue groups usually step up to the plate to help find them foster homes until the families have been found.
Some of the storm shelter will not allow pets so many pet owners will not go to them. I know I wouldn't go to a shelter and leave our kids behind. When you lose a pet the loss is devastating too.
Charlie

[FCIN]

Having lived through a tornado myself, my heart goes out to the folks in Oklahoma. Especially those who lost children at the school. Heartbreaking to say the least.

We lost our first home in the EF-5 tornado that passed through Frankfort, KY, April 3, 1973, and that was on the ground for a distance of over 20 miles and traveling at a speed of 70 mph. It was the strangest looking storm cloud I'd ever seen and have never seen anything like it since. The main things that I remember about the storm cell carrying the tornado were that it was almost completely black and appeared to be perfectly flat across its base. There were constant lighting strikes that looked and sounded like a walking artillery barrage. The tornado itself, was on the southwest edge of the storm cell, and just looked like white clouds touching the ground. A mile or so north of the tornado, there were hail stones the size of grapefruit that destroyed vehicles and went right through the roofs of homes.

We had about a 5 minute warning that a tornado was approaching our area and when I looked out the window and saw it, I immediately took the wife and our 5 month old daughter to the basement. I wasn't able to grab our little dog Cindy who rode out the storm upstairs. After it passed, nothing was left above the basement, but Cindy was found by a neighbor about 100 yards from our house and was not injured! So many strange things happen in these storms.

A family of three was killed just up the street from us. Their home was brick but built on a concrete slab and after the tornado, nothing was left but the concrete slab. Their bodies were found some distance away from their destroyed home. One other thing that always sticks in my mind was the horse that was in the field across from our home; killed by a tree limb. Very sad sight. In spite of the storm traveling through many residential areas, only two other people perished that day in Frankfort.

You can replace your home and your stuff, but you can't recover the lives of those that didn't survive. You also can never completely get that day out of your mind and to this day, whenever they issue a tornado warning for us, it scares the daylights out of us. Although we don't live in the main "Tornado Alley" section of the U.S., we sure have our share of them in Kentucky.

[Charlie B]

One of the things I remember about the tornadoes in our area was the eerie greenish yellow sky. I don't remember ours as being associated with the severe thunder storms they normally accompany. They kind of snuck in on us with little warning. Had they been at night the would have killed even more people.
We heard from our friends in Oklahoma. They are fine. I am glad they are OK, but I wish everyone was.
Charlie

[FCIN]

One of the things I remember about the tornadoes in our area was the eerie greenish yellow sky.

I've heard many people in my area talk about the odd color of the sky that day, but I don't recall that. I do clearly remember that all that morning, it was very windy with a steady stream of little "cotton ball" looking clouds sailing across the sky. By noon that day, no more wind and no clouds at all. When the storms broke out, all you'd see was the storm cell, surrounded by completely clear sky. As I mentioned, I'd never seen anything like that day before or since.

[Green_Elite_Cab]

This happened just a few miles south of where I work, although I have lived in Tornado Alley for 8 years now it is amazing how quickly things go from fine to total disaster. At this time there are alreasy 51 confirmed deaths many of them children. A very sad day here in Oklahoma.

I heard on the news the last night that some people were counted twice, and that only 24 were killed. Its still awful, but its good to know the death toll wasn't quite so bad as originally reported.

[Green_Elite_Cab]

Of all the possible "bad choices", I would rather ride out a "hurricane sandy" at sea, than be smacked by any tornado, anywhere! :o

I don't think the ships did much better. One of the notable losses was the big sailing ships that played one of the British battleships in "Pirates of the Caribbean". I think it was first built in the 60s for Mutiny on the Bounty. Even though it did have its own engines (wasn't using its sails), it somehow got flooded out by the storm and sank. They thought they could go around the storm and head south to Florida before things got too bad where it was in Connecticut.

[mountaingoatgreg]

The official report has come out with 24 deaths related to this Tornado.
They have also already arrested two people on suspesion of looting.