Hi! Yesterday was eventful here in Oklahoma City and before we talk about that I want to take you back to May 3, 1999. Below the picture is of me and my friends huddled down in the lecture center in my High School on that day. We were in school late for a drama performance when we got word there was a tornado outbreak. (yes, I am blonde) Our teacher was amazing not letting on how serious the situation was hence our picture below. But then disaster struck we all laid on the ground on top of one another as the tornado ripped apart our school. It is awful and my memory blocked out most of the events but I remember one thing like it was yesterday..... I remember closing my ears tight because when the roof was being ripped off above us it was the loudest thing I have ever experienced. It sounded like a freight train was being driven over our heads. It was horrific. Luckily there were only about 20 of us in the entire school......but nothing prepared us to what we saw next.
This friends is part of the school with our Westmoore flag flying high above. When we were able to get out of the rubble it looked like a war scene.....you couldn't even tell where you were. A week later we found my car flat like a pancake and I was able to rip off my rear view mirror which I still have to this day. We were 3 weeks from graduation and school just stopped.....the grades we had that day is what we were left with.
This is my neighborhood.......were I live now. I live right next door to the school and it was wiped out. I live in one of the few remaining original homes that is on the street farthest from the school. But when the news channels last night were saying a EF4 was headed directly in the May 3 path you can imagine why I freaked. May 3rd was an EF5 the largest in record. You can only imagine what my parents thought when the news said Westmoore was leveled and I was inside. It took hours for me to be able to start walking towards my parents home and for my dad to finally find me in the chaos.
Fast forward to last night...........
Living in Oklahoma the tornado sirens go off a lot, most of the time you ignore it and move on with your day....but when the news gives your EXACT street and a time of impact you move. Below is the closet under our stairs, the safest place for us. Bella, the cat in already tucked in safe towards the back.
As soon as the sirens went off I started throwing everything into the office that was in the closet and then I went to get my cat into her carrier which was a nightmare. Poor baby.
What happened next was a miracle the touch down was 1 block from us but then the tornado lifted.....Matt yelled at me to come outside (I went against my better judgement) And this eye in the sky is directly over our house and it was where the tornado pulled back.
Our poor animals were worked up between watching us worry and cramming in and out the closet, here is our weenies needing some protective love from Matt.
After the tornado moved the hail started...........it was insane and Matt's truck as many battle scares. The rain was so heavy, so fast our backyard started to flood. But it could of been SO much worse.....so many in Oklahoma City and the surrounding area lost their homes. It is devastating.
Never a dull moment in Oklahoma City but I guess that is why they call us Tornado Alley. I am so thankful God answered my prayers, I can't live thru another tornado but I continue to pray for those across Oklahoma and Joplin, Missouri. I don't know what I would of done if something was to happen to Matt or my animals.
Ps.........
1. Remember to follow my blog and leave me a comment on my prior post to win my giveaway tomorrow!
2. Thunder UP! Game 5 tonight!
