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A tornado happened...
9 years ago
General
First off, I'm ok and so is my place, and there were also no serious injuries. But...the town I live in was hit by an EF2 tornado yesterday morning, first one in my lifetime, and AFAIK actually the first one to ever hit the town directly. The damage was restricted to a fairly small part of the town, but where the damage occurred, it is bad. Very bad.
Five years ago, we had a derecho with 130MPH winds come through. Buildings and structures that survived that 2011 storm were outright obliterated yesterday. Several apartment buildings, including nearly an entire apartment complex, were destroyed. Multiple houses on the far east side of town were also hit, although by this time the tornado had weakened enough that most of the damage was only done to the roofs, bar one garage I saw with an entire wall blown out.
What's most scary about this...the county fair was going on this past weekend. 250 people were camping in RVs at the fairgrounds. The tornado missed the fairgrounds by only 200 yards. Had the track gone only two football fields further to the south, many, MANY people could have been severely hurt, maybe even killed. They got lucky...so fucking incredibly lucky.
A radio tower used for Verizon, Sprint and a regional wireless ISP was also destroyed. 60% of the town's communications ability is now gone. I have almost zero cell service because of this, one bar of fringe 1X coverage depending on where in town I am. If anyone is trying to get in touch with me on Telegram or Twitter, I likely won't be able to respond until I either get home or find wifi for my phone.
I've seen tornado damage before, including the aftermath of the EF5 that hit Parkersburg back in 2008. Even though the damage here isn't near as bad as what I saw in Parkersburg, it's still horrible to see it in my hometown, the town I was born and raised in, and still live in. And all those people who are now homeless...yes, it is good that there were no serious injuries, but my heart still breaks for them having lost, essentially, everything...if not from the tornado itself, then from being exposed to the elements after the buildings were destroyed.
It's shocking to see the damage from a tornado after it strikes somewhere else. It's...mind-numbing...to see it in your own town, even as relatively confined as it was here. I did take several pictures of the damage. I may or may not post some of them here, just to share. I've already posted most of them on my Twitter.
So, that's what's going on here. Again, I'm ok and so is my place, but still...it's crazy...
Five years ago, we had a derecho with 130MPH winds come through. Buildings and structures that survived that 2011 storm were outright obliterated yesterday. Several apartment buildings, including nearly an entire apartment complex, were destroyed. Multiple houses on the far east side of town were also hit, although by this time the tornado had weakened enough that most of the damage was only done to the roofs, bar one garage I saw with an entire wall blown out.
What's most scary about this...the county fair was going on this past weekend. 250 people were camping in RVs at the fairgrounds. The tornado missed the fairgrounds by only 200 yards. Had the track gone only two football fields further to the south, many, MANY people could have been severely hurt, maybe even killed. They got lucky...so fucking incredibly lucky.
A radio tower used for Verizon, Sprint and a regional wireless ISP was also destroyed. 60% of the town's communications ability is now gone. I have almost zero cell service because of this, one bar of fringe 1X coverage depending on where in town I am. If anyone is trying to get in touch with me on Telegram or Twitter, I likely won't be able to respond until I either get home or find wifi for my phone.
I've seen tornado damage before, including the aftermath of the EF5 that hit Parkersburg back in 2008. Even though the damage here isn't near as bad as what I saw in Parkersburg, it's still horrible to see it in my hometown, the town I was born and raised in, and still live in. And all those people who are now homeless...yes, it is good that there were no serious injuries, but my heart still breaks for them having lost, essentially, everything...if not from the tornado itself, then from being exposed to the elements after the buildings were destroyed.
It's shocking to see the damage from a tornado after it strikes somewhere else. It's...mind-numbing...to see it in your own town, even as relatively confined as it was here. I did take several pictures of the damage. I may or may not post some of them here, just to share. I've already posted most of them on my Twitter.
So, that's what's going on here. Again, I'm ok and so is my place, but still...it's crazy...
Just really glad you're okay! *gentle hugs*
Still, you're safe, and no one else was seriously hurt or killed. That's what matters.
2. May 27, 1896
Locations: East St. Louis, Belleville, New Baden, Nashville
Casualties: 140 dead, ~500 injured (Altogether this storm system killed 250 people)
Intensity: F4-F5
The deaths were the result of 3 separate tornadoes. The first tornado, which had already killed 137 people in St. Louis, crossed the Mississippi River into East St. Louis and killed another 113 people. Another tornado touched down southeast of East St. Louis and killed 24 people in the Belleville and Mascoutah areas. A third tornado killed 3 people between Nashville and Mt. Vernon.
I am just shocked a tornado actually formed this far north. They happened at least ten-twenty times a year where I used to live... just never seemingly getting close to where I lived each year, maybe a close call here and there.
My condolences for your town Torin. I know this probably has you rattled to say the least. *Hugs.*