Blog Every Day in May: A Childhood Storm

Day 18: Tell a story from your childhood. Dig deep and try to be descriptive about what you remember and how you felt.


It started with those ominous dark clouds. Clouds so deeply blue they could only intensify the green leaves on the neighborhood trees. There was no dimension to that darkened sky, no birds flew among it, just the quiet rumble of the storms in the distance.
My mom picked me up from first grade in her silver Nissan Maxima, my one year old brother in his car seat in the back. We went straight home to turn on the television so we could keep an eye on the miniature county map of Oklahoma in the bottom right corner of the screen. Various boxes (counties) would be highlighted in shades of white, green, and sometimes red over the course of the evening, and that familiar three beep alarm would sound on the television signaling Gary England would be giving an update as to the track of the storms and the potential for tornadoes.
We went about the evening as usual. Dinner of hamburger helper, canned green beans and bread as the storm loomed. We had rain, but nothing more, despite the wash of yellow signaling a tornado watch for most of western and central Oklahoma.  The night sky fell as the wind began to pick up. The three beeps sounded on the television once more.
'This is an update for you folks in Western Oklahoma, particularly the counties of Caddo, Custer, Dewey and Washita counties. A severe thunderstorm alert has been issued for you all with the risk of heavy rain, lightning, hail, and high winds, with the potential for tornadoes in the area. Be prepared to take your tornado precautions. We'll keep you advised.'
The wind picked up still and the rain and hail came in harder. There was barely a break between each rumble of thunder.
Three more beeps sounded.
'The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for you folks in Custer county. Take your tornado precautions at this time. Get below ground immediately.'
At that point the tornado sirens began to blow. The whirling sound of them mimicking my stomach as my anxiety about the storms took hold. It felt like a roller coaster ride.
'Heather, put your shoes on,' my mom said to me. As she and my dad gathered up my brother, I looked out the window to see the Bradford pear tree in my backyard seem to swirl and violently wave from side to side through the rain and lightening.
My mom ushered us into the car as my dad grabbed a few items from inside the house. We were all buckled in with the car running when my dad came outside. In his panic he'd forgotten to close the door to the house, so he had to run back and shut it. I remember feeling panic that at any time we would see the tornado touch down on our house. Images of straw being driven into trees flashed through my mind like I'd seen in my dad's Weather book. Would my house be among rubble when we returned home?
We drove down Davis road toward my grandparents house. The power lines were bobbing up and down as the rain continued to beat down, the windshield wipers racing to catch up.
My grandparents met us at the door and we crossed the street to their neighbors house because they had an indoor basement. It was a tiny basement, and I remember sitting on my grandmothers lap in a 1960's style barstool to ride out the storm. The radio kept us up to the minute on the progress of the storm. It didn't take long for it to blow through.
Once the storm subsided we headed home, my parents a little weary from the rush and the panic. My brother slept the whole time, while I was an odd mix of wired and tired.
Although my home wasnt wrecked like I'd imagined, the storm had done some significant damage. About two days later workmen began re-roofing the house as we'd suffered some hail damage. Everything else was fine, even my favorite Bradford pear tree in the backyard.  We would even get a visit from Gary England and his 'Terrible Twisters' show a few months later to show storm footage and remind us how to take proper storm precautions. (My dad would take me since I wanted to see someone from TV.. The priorities of a six-year-old...)
I would still feel that whirl in my stomach anytime the tornado sirens blew in the years after that incident, but now it doesn't bother me much. We still take our precautions as needed, and we are glad to have a built in storm shelter in the event something more serious does stir up in the atmosphere. Gary England still does the weather, and still keeps us advised.