Oklahoma Tornadoes

Living in tornado alley all of my life. . . I feel a great sympathy for anyone in the path of a deadly tornado.  We were in the basement just yesterday under a tornado warning.  It looked as if it was heading straight for our city and somehow we were spared.

http://meteorologicalmusings.blogspot.com/2013/05/wichita-avoided-catastrophe.html

But those in Oklahoma today were not.  And what makes it even more heartbreaking is that elementary schools took a direct hit.  I remember as a child being terrified of having a tornado hit while at school.  So terrified that I would get stomach aches (real or not, I don’t know) anytime the sky was dark.  So, if there ever was a tornado warning at school, I was most likely in the nurse’s office.  Now, as a parent, I imagine my fears of having a child at school during a tornado would be 100 times worse.  I’m not sure what kind of storm shelters they had at those schools.  At mine growing up, we basically just sat in the hallway covering our heads with our hands.  We would have never survived a direct hit. In Kansas, we usually know a few days in advance when the potential for really severe weather is there.  I don’t think I could stop my mommy instincts from going to pick Olivia up from school once a tornado watch is issued.  

Living here all of my life, I’ve never seen a tornado.  I don’t look for them, of course, but I’ve never even had a really close call.  My anxiety over them has greatly decreased over the years, but it’s still important to always stay on top of what’s going on.  Will my luck ever run out? I hope not.  We just don’t know what each day holds.  But I pray for all of those affected by the storms. 

http://meteorologicalmusings.blogspot.com/2013/05/two-oklahoma-tornadoes.html