The Crazy Weather

The Omaha area has undergone the wettest spring/summer that we have seen in 10 years. Last Friday, 6/27/08, we had some of the worst weather that I have ever seen.

As a teenager, I saw a tornado tear through the country side on the boundaries of the town where I lived. It was an incredible sight. But the weather that went through Omaha was totally different because I was actually in the middle of it.

Hearing and seeing it from a distance is a very different thing than actually being in the middle of of a force of Nature. As it hit the Northwest area of Omaha, I was getting ready to leave work. I had a 1/2 hour left when I thought I heard the sirens wailing.

I mentioned it to "J", my incoming replacement. Her response was, "I don't think so", but moments later she heard them too. The sky kept getting darker and the wind started to pick up. At about that time the phone started ringing off the hook. Several of the carriers in the extreme western portion of the area were calling their routes in late due to the extreme weather. They were taking cover in the local nursing home, stranger's houses (they made the carriers get out of the bad weather, thank goodness) and one person took cover in a ditch. There was a distinct possibility of a tornado.

Then it hit. The wind was blowing as if a 747 airplane was landing directly in front of me. The rain was blowing sideways with the force of a speeding car. The two sets of front doors that opened into our glass entry way were sucked out by the wind, blasting in a torrent of rain. The four people that were hanging out snapped their heads around as if they were attached with rubber bands that had sprung back to it's starting position.

I ran for the drawer where the manual key was kept that would lock down the handles and the doors. I asked everyone to help me with the locks. The four of us went into the entry way, which is entirely constructed out of glass and man handled the doors shut. It was really tricky. We had to pull on the door to keep it shut but we had to let up enough on the handle for me to turn the key. Three people to keep the door shut and one to turn the key, sounds like a fantasy story.

The hail hits! It was a thousand bullets hitting bullet proof glass, the pounding of a jack hammer on cement, it was scary! We all realize at just about the same time that we were in a position that could be deadly. The glass could shatter all around us and cut us to shreds.

We run for the inside. Once inside, I lock the second set of doors, which hopefully, will stop the vacuum that is formed in a storm and stop the doors from slamming open. From the inside we watch this deadly force of nature race past the windows. The hail was so heavy that a small "snow drift" forms at the L created by the entry way joining the main part of the building.

It wasn't until the storm was over that we found out that the wind speed was 72 miles an hour with gusts of up to 120 MPH. Sustained wind speeds of 120 MPH is the speed of an F3 tornado. Thousands of people were without power and the damage done will come to millions of dollars. Whole trees were blown over causing major damage to many familys and homes. Here it is Monday evening and there are still people without power.

My family often talk about the way CNN uses the TV to discuss every little thing into a major sensational story. I was actually in a major event and it totally trivalizes the coverage that CNN provides.

I still feel that CNN use the cable lines to sensationalize life, "The Paris Hilton" story immediately comes to mind, I mean, really, who cares, other than her immediate family, whether or not she seeks rehabilitation? But, now I can also appreciate the serious news that CNN airs. All in all, it was an experience I'll remember for the rest of my life.

The Neighbor's Pickup Truck

I'm sure you have heard about someone driving into another person's home. It happens periodically. It's a pretty freaky way to wind up a busy day. Well, several years ago the neighbor's pickup truck ended up in our front yard. This is quite a trick since we live on a hillside. The street level is actually above the level of the house.

We had heard a big bang but chalked it up to our imagination. It wasn't until I happened to walk into our bedroom and saw the reflected twirling lights of a police cruiser that we finally realized what had happened.

The neighbor is actually not a bad person but he did get carried away with a night of revelry. He ended his night at the local police station after he drove his truck off the road, down the hill and into the tree in the middle of our yard. As drunk driving stories go this one ended better than it possibly could have.

Ever since that happened if we hear a "big bang", we check it out. Because the one time that we didn't believe our own ears, someone had a large accident in our front yard. What do you know, live and learn.