BAD STORMS LAST NIGHT...
The Midwest got hit again with another series of tornadoes last night and the far southern Indiana town of Marysville was described by the Indy Star this morning as "GONE". And they printed a series of photos taken from an aerial view to pretty much prove it.
I feel for those people down and pray for those who lost family members. A number are known dead.
I was living in Colorado when a tornado wiped out Monticello, the county seat of White County. Nobody in our extended family suffered any harm, but a number of residents and those passing through were. (A family in a van crossing a tall open bridge just as the storm hit the town was blown off the bridge to the river below and they all perished.)
Dad said the local authorities declared 'Martial Law' and wouldn't let anyone into the town except organized emergency crews, farmers with loader tractors or people with chainsaws. I think he said they made an arbitrary rule; every 2 people had to have 1 chainsaw between them or they weren't allowed into town or even their own property. Everyone else was told pointblank to get the Hell Away and To Stay Away! No sightseers were welcome. A curfew was established and the local company of the National Guard was called out to patrol the streets after dark to stop any looting. Still, everyone in a pick-up truck had a firearm of some sort in a rear window rifle-rack. (It was 1974.) It was a mess and it took the town years to recover.
I moved back here to start farming with Dad in 1975 and the most startling thing to my mind was the complete absence of trees in the wide swath where the storm passed through the town on a southwest to northeast diagonal. This area of Indiana is characterized by its flatness. (The end result of 7 different glaciers following the last ice age.) When you take the trees away, especially the tall, old ones, the landscape gets pretty stark and for years after the 'scars' remained.
I feel for those people in Southern Indiana this morning and wish them the very best in their recovery efforts. I just hope their misery level is kept to the bare minimum and wish them all a quick recovery...
All The Best,
Frank W. James
I feel for those people down and pray for those who lost family members. A number are known dead.
I was living in Colorado when a tornado wiped out Monticello, the county seat of White County. Nobody in our extended family suffered any harm, but a number of residents and those passing through were. (A family in a van crossing a tall open bridge just as the storm hit the town was blown off the bridge to the river below and they all perished.)
Dad said the local authorities declared 'Martial Law' and wouldn't let anyone into the town except organized emergency crews, farmers with loader tractors or people with chainsaws. I think he said they made an arbitrary rule; every 2 people had to have 1 chainsaw between them or they weren't allowed into town or even their own property. Everyone else was told pointblank to get the Hell Away and To Stay Away! No sightseers were welcome. A curfew was established and the local company of the National Guard was called out to patrol the streets after dark to stop any looting. Still, everyone in a pick-up truck had a firearm of some sort in a rear window rifle-rack. (It was 1974.) It was a mess and it took the town years to recover.
I moved back here to start farming with Dad in 1975 and the most startling thing to my mind was the complete absence of trees in the wide swath where the storm passed through the town on a southwest to northeast diagonal. This area of Indiana is characterized by its flatness. (The end result of 7 different glaciers following the last ice age.) When you take the trees away, especially the tall, old ones, the landscape gets pretty stark and for years after the 'scars' remained.
I feel for those people in Southern Indiana this morning and wish them the very best in their recovery efforts. I just hope their misery level is kept to the bare minimum and wish them all a quick recovery...
All The Best,
Frank W. James
Labels: Community, Current Events, Dangerous Stuff, Weather, Wild Things
1 Comments:
Until you've been through a real live tornadoe, folks don't really understand just how scary they are.
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