Tornadoes

The wee hours of Saturday night/Sunday morning were pretty scary and mostly restless for us... and probably most other people in the surrounding area. Craig and I returned home from celebrating our friend Julie's birthday dinner around 10:15 or so. After a long day of cleaning house for Will's party, we decided not to go on to the movie with our friends - thank God! I can't imagine trying to get home to our kids amidst the storms and winds, and how much more scary that would have been to not be HOME when the first round of storms hit. At 11:00 I went upstairs to get ready for bed while Craig was watching a DVR'd show (not live TV) and had just finished washing my face when I heard the sirens going off. I came downstairs to see if Craig thought this was cause for alarm. Shortly after, Craig's good friend Jason called to make sure we were aware of the danger and to get the kids and get to the basement because there were tornado warnings all around and the storm was supposed to hit our area in about five minutes. We immediately got the kids out of bed and grabbed a few pillows, blankets and flashlights and headed to the basement where we set up camp for most of the night. Both kids seemed calm and drowsy but started to wake up more while Craig and I were rearranging things. I cleared some space under the stairwell in case we needed to get there, but mostly we layed in the middle of the floor. The first round of storms went through and we just huddled together. We knew another round was due in a few hours so we ran upstairs to get cell phones, the pack 'n play ('cause we wanted the kids to sleep and Sophie was not settling down on the floor with us), and some shoes (just in case). After an hour or so, the kids fell back to sleep and Craig and I tried. We drifted in and out. I know I started to doze in the midst of saying the rosary. But the basement floor is SO hard and uncomfortable. I woke up every few minutes. Somewhere in the 2 o'clock hour I got up and went to the other side of our basement to watch the news. They were showing pictures and footage of all the damage done so far and even in the dark it was unbelievable. Lake High School was completely destroyed by an "F4" that was roughly 1/4-1/2 mile wide in the first storm. Already a couple people were reported dead. Lots of power lines down. Homes damaged/destroyed/leveled. The news kept showing us the weather radar and displaying all the locations where tornadoes were currently spotted or touching down. I think it was around 2:45 that there was one heading right through our area and suddenly it got really quiet. I was totally freaking out, but trying to remain calm. I ran over to wake Craig and we just listened while the kids slept.

We were truly blessed that night. Approximately six (or eight?) tornadoes actually touched down and destroyed SO many homes and lives. The storm was moving so quickly and erratically. The next day we were able to see that it was headed right for several of our family's homes and then rerouted another direction. At about 3:45, the news team was giving us the "all clear". The storms had passed and nothing further was headed our way. So, once again, we scooped up the kids and we all returned to bed where Craig and I finally fell asleep shortly after 4 a.m.... only to be woken up by Will at 7:20. (That kid never sleeps in!)

In the aftermath, the death toll rose to seven, I think? One of which was a cousin of Craig's mother. He had gone upstairs just to grab a flashlight and the tornado hit his home just at that moment. The Rossford Fire and Rescue Department has some pretty unbelievable pictures posted on their Facebook page. You can see the total destruction to the school where my sister teaches, and to so many homes and farms that were in the devastating path of the tornadoes.

So after a mostly sleepless night, we woke up to a beautiful, sunny morning and thanked God for our safety and the safety of our families. On less than four hours sleep, we prepared to move forward with Will's birthday party that afternoon and Craig also went to help clean up at his grandpa's house where the basement flooded.

Here's Will in Craig's giant, waterproof boots. :)

The storms and tornadoes brought a lot of devastation... but also made everyone realize and appreciate the blessings we have. Communities are banding together, the school system is preparing to rebuild, clean-up is in progress, and families are re-bonding. Craig and I decided to get an "emergency kit" together in our basement to avoid the many trips back upstairs (that could have been very dangerous) for any future necessity. And then we're just praying for everyone who has lost.