Moore, OK.... Smashed by enormous tornado

[Oh Shoot]

Death toll at 51, will almost certainly will go higher.

 

- OS

 

Looks like the count is at 91 now... I can't even imagine

 

Now saying 24, multiple counting of same folks or some such.

 

- OS

[Mike.357]

that is better news OS, I won't go so far as to say good news.   Earlier today I heard a number near about 91

[kieefer]

http://www.redcross.org/charitable-donations

 

Here's some of it moving east as seen from Percy Priest Dam.

 

[URL=http://s779.photobucket.com/user/richarddacat/media/IMG_0095_zps0c7022c4.jpg.html][/URL]

 

I just can't imagine how I would react if this happened to me. This would sure test your Faith.

[Wingshooter]

Wish i could bring them all back to life.
Stuff like this ruins my week.

Yeah, I've been sick about it too. Prayers for those families...

[Guest TankerHC]

I have been through so many Tornados it aint funny (Literally it aint funny any more).

 

In April 2011 I had the "privilege" of standing in the street, trapped 50 yards from one. I was sitting in my house alone and heard a Tornado siren go off and ignored it, then I heard a second then a third go off and ignored them too. After 5 minutes of the sirens going off I heard the proverbial (AND literal) sound of a train and ran out on the back porch. We have a lake right behind our subdivision, the Lake looked like the Atlantic during a Nor'easter. The rain was blowing completely parallel to the ground. And the wind was off the charts. Ran out front and into the street, LESS than 50 yards away was a huge Tornado, it was blocking the entrance and road going out of our subdivision. Our area is surrounded by an 8 foot privacy security fence, thought about running and jumping the fence, too old and achy for that so looked for another way out. Then remembered that nearly every house in the neighborhood was owned by retirees, at least half of the residents here are over 80 years old and three that passed away last year were 100 and 103. So I ran to my neighbor on my right and pounded on the door and couldnt get an answer, she is in her 70's and lives alone but her son is a JPD and stops by to check and visit her but was out that day, ran to the neighbor on the right and he opened wouldnt open the door so I opened it and told him lets go, he is an 87 year old WWII vet and his wife (who passed away 5 months ago) had Alzheimers. He just yelled "GO GO GO" and I told him the Tornado was right here and he said "I know GO GO". Ran back to my house to get my car, it was in the garage and the power was knocked out (All this time the Tornado is still there) so I couldnt get the garage door opened plus I wasnt thinking, happening too quick, to manually open the door. Also, I was in jeans with no shirt and shoes or socks on. In about a minute sh--T started blowing on all the poles and the power came on, got the garage door open and as soon as I did the transformer 30 feet away blew and that was it for power. Got in the car, no shoes, socks or shirt and took off. Friend owns a Shell Station right down the street, cops were all out and one told me he had the people in our subdivision taken care of to just stay away. I dont fear a whole lot (Running up on a bear and a Mountain Lion on the same day while hiking Barr Camp Trail in Colorado did, as did walking up in North MS and seeing myself surrounded on 3 sides by Wild Boar), but since that storm, I cannot sleep if there is bad weather, I am up all night watching radar, if it comes during the day, Im out the door. I dont care if it is 2, 3 or 4 in the morning, if I am watching the radar and the Tornado watch or warning goes up, I get my wife up and we head in the other direction. Ive been through a lot of Tornados, and at least 15 major Hurricanes over the years, including Katrina. Never bothered me before, now it terrifies me to be perfectly honest.

 

Then this past February I was online chatting with my daughter and we were having bad weather. She says she is watching a Tornado and then she types "No, No" or something like that and says she was watching Tornado Chasers online in Hattiesburg (She just Graduated from USM last week) and says she is watching online, the chasers chasing a Tornado coming right up her street. Then nothing and I went straight into panic mode. Couldnt get her on the phone, online, or anywhere. About an hour later she started texting me, the power was knocked out, the Tornado had damaged her neighborhood including the houses on either side of her, but missed her house, went right over. It hit USM which is right across the street and USM had an old Fire Station they had refurbished to use for plays and dances or something, that was gone. Did a lot of damage in the area.

 

Jackson MS area last week was listed as the number two area, out of the top ten, for Tornados. Here is three videos. The first one is the Tornado that I stood 50 yards from, the second one is after that Tornado and one street over from mine, other than blow down some fence and blow out transformers it missed us but destroyed the rest of the neighborhood. And the third video is the Tornado my daughter watched the storm chaser chase right to her house.

 

Believe it or not you can bank on a Tornado here during every major storm, which is often.

 

http://youtu.be/jrkzBpeybkc

 

http://youtu.be/xohNVxvwMxI

 

http://youtu.be/HdmTpsyQinM

[Guest TankerHC]

http://youtu.be/HdmTpsyQinM