I awoke to tornado sirens at 6am on April 27, 2011. It was the first of many tornado alerts we would hear that day. We all went to our "safe place," which, in all honesty isn't safe at all. But it's what we have. Little did I know that we would be spending the majority of the next 15 hours in that place.
Around 12pm another warning came through our area. I was alone with my nearly 2 year old son. We again got in our "safe place." This time it was close, I could hear hail. It was so loud that I could no longer hear the weather man on TV. But from what I could hear outside, something was close. Large hail, loud pops of something...transformers? power lines? I didn't know. Then the entire house was quiet. No power.
Thankfully, my husband had an emergency wind-up radio. I wound and wound it up and listened to the radio for news on the next wave of tornadoes. I watched the radar on my phone. I panicked. We knew they were coming, yet there was nothing to do but wait.
The next tornado that came through our area was around 6pm. I'm so thankful that my husband was home and by my side with our baby underneath us. You never want to hear that a tornado with a 3/4 mile wide base is headed to your community. After this passed, I felt a sense of relief. I knew we were not in the clear, but I just felt a sense of calm that we had escaped a very large storm.
These were the two tornadoes in our immediate vicinity. The warnings were constant throughout the day. Every thirty minutes to an hour, another cell would be coming through. It was a record-breaking number of tornadoes in Alabama that day.
This was only the start of what would be a life-altering week. For five days we were without power. The hardest thing for me was taking an ice cold shower. I have really come to appreciate running hot water. We ate by candlelight at night, mostly pre-packaged food and juice boxes. We boiled water on the grill so that the baby could have a semi-warm sponge bath. We played games and listened to the wind-up radio. One day we went to the park with my in-laws. We also traveled to another town where there were rumors of power. We had a hot meal and then found a place to do some laundry...a truck stop. I often tell others that this was one of the best times of my life- and it was.
For half of a day, I volunteered with a friend to help a neighborhood near by that had been hit hard. Words can not describe what is seen in these areas, or what is felt. There was thankfulness that it was not us. There was guilt that it was not us. There was an overwhelming feeling that nothing I can do will be enough. We just did what we could do that day, and they were thankful for us.
April 27th will always be a day that I take time to remember those families that were changed forever. Many things were lost that day, but things don't matter. Many people were also lost that day. I remember the many families who mourn together for the loss of loved ones. I pray for them that God will give them peace and comfort.
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| Our "safe place" |
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| Where we usually play |
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| We had to wait in line for groceries |
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| having fun at the truck stop |
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