Tornadoes

[oneshot]

Was just watching News they was talking about the Joplin Tornado 10 years ago. I knew people down there but never realized how bad it was.

I thought the one that distroyed Stockton was bad, it stayed on the ground forever, it killed people before getting to us and after it got by us.

I have noticed most problems stack up in North East corner of Oklahoma.

That is our main thing. If it looks like it is going to get bad we go to the office and watch Radar and set Sirens off if needed.

Tornadoes fool a person. If they are running for a distance it’s pretty easy to keep an eye on them but if they just touch down and back up makes things interesting.

We just set up Mini Weather Stations where we can keep an on things before it gets to our area. National Weather Service uses them.

oneshot

[Dutch]

2 hours ago, oneshot said:

Was just watching News they was talking about the Joplin Tornado 10 years ago. I knew people down there but never realized how bad it was.

I thought the one that distroyed Stockton was bad, it stayed on the ground forever, it killed people before getting to us and after it got by us.

I have noticed most problems stack up in North East corner of Oklahoma.

That is our main thing. If it looks like it is going to get bad we go to the office and watch Radar and set Sirens off if needed.

Tornadoes fool a person. If they are running for a distance it’s pretty easy to keep an eye on them but if they just touch down and back up makes things interesting.

We just set up Mini Weather Stations where we can keep an on things before it gets to our area. National Weather Service uses them.

oneshot

My grandson went to college there.  His squad was sent there to assist with security.  He said that he couldn’t find the house where he had lived because he couldn’t even find the street in all of the rubble.

[Woodland Artisan]

Oldest daughter, husband and <1 yr son were in that.  Just a block north of the Lowe's and 2 blocks south of bulls-eye.  Worst destruction from a tornado I've ever personally seen, and I've seen lots of tornado aftermath.

[fishinwrench]

Tornadoes are no fun.  Insure your home and belongings heavily.  

[oneshot]

10 hours ago, Woodland Artisan said:

Oldest daughter, husband and <1 yr son were in that.  Just a block north of the Lowe's and 2 blocks south of bulls-eye.  Worst destruction from a tornado I've ever personally seen, and I've seen lots of tornado aftermath.

Yes I’ve seen where Tornadoes have went through which is very obvious but I was watching TV on Joplin from what I seen it was total destruction far as you could see.

Bad being at the office watching Radar knowing what is happening . Watched on Radar Jefferson City being hit

Just Straight Line Winds if they are fast enough we are to sound alarms.

One time we had winds and tried setting off alarms but they didn’t work. Boss said well winds weren’t fast enough.

Set off Sirens once a month. One wasn’t going off, cost $10,000 for company to fix it which they didn’t. We fixed it with $14 part.

Got New People over us trying to cut costs which in their mind it should work but it don’t because we are doing it for a reason.

Like Computers they said go with Satellite. I said right off the bat they won’t work. First storm no Computer.

Oh well just do our Job.

oneshot 

[DADAKOTA]

Helped in the cleanup in Stockton.  Spent several days at the main firehouse in Joplin cooking meals for the first responders after the Joplin tornado.  A group of outdoors folks banded together and fed three meals a day to all the responders.  Many folks and companies donated time, equipment, and money to make it all happen.   I'll never forget the destruction I saw or all the outpouring of help for those who lost so much.

[Dutch]

I was in the campground at Crabtree Cove when the one hit Stockton.  My house in Republic got hit the same day.  We weren’t destroyed but sustained over $40,000 in damages.

[ollie]

My wife is an RN for Mercy and thank God she wasn't scheduled that night. Although the next day she had to report to the make shift shelter out of Memorial Hall. It wasn't just bad, it was horrific and if you ask someone who actually lived through that one they will tell you that every time those sirens go off (even for tests) the feelings just overwhelm them. My ex mother in law was one of the ones that made it out of the nursing home alive, but since it was a complete shambles she was moved to another one. Two days later she died. No one did an autopsy so who knows if that was part of it or not.

[Greasy B]

Go through the Joplin image history on google earth, it’ll put a knot in your gut. 

[Woodland Artisan]

7 hours ago, oneshot said:

Yes I’ve seen where Tornadoes have went through which is very obvious but I was watching TV on Joplin from what I seen it was total destruction far as you could see.

Bad being at the office watching Radar knowing what is happening . Watched on Radar Jefferson City being hit

It wasn't quite that bad ("total destruction far as you could see") but it was pretty terrible being there.  I watched the storm forming on radar and thought it was going north-northeast from Joplin.  But, suddenly, it blossomed up and went due east.  The reports at the time said that the whole storm system might be heading east to southeast so we sat still until it passed over.  Went out to the barns and packed whatever I could think of into the truck to make a rescue, if needed, and just sat there glued to the radio/tv/internet to see what might be going on.  We lost cell contact with the daughter shortly before it hit Joplin EXCEPT for a once-in-awhile text for about an hour.  Heard that I-44 was closed down so we came in from the south to Joplin as soon as the main storm passed.  Spent the next nearly 2 hrs getting from Rangeline & 7th Street to the Lowe's area on the south side.  Passed next to what was the highschool (terrible. bodies) and weaved all around that town to make it to their apartment.

Two bizarre things (out of a whole host of them on that night and the ensuing days we were there)...

1) The bullseye track mulched trees as they stood.  25 yards each side and trees were simply gone, uprooted, snapped, etc.  But directly under the track, trees were still standing but all bark was gone and only a 1/3rd their height.  Looked like (this is crass to say but it was my thought while driving past them) skeleton trees.  Simply like they were mulched while standing there.

2)  Daughters car was, obviously, torn up a bit (2x4's through the windows, dents, etc.) but the engine and front was intact.  Except that, weeks later when taking it to a salvage yard, they got into the engine and found fiberglass insulation in the cylinders.  How?

Gotta tell you, the cellphone providers stepped up.  They had temp towers up QUICK.