It was a typical spring afternoon. Puffy white clouds polka dotted the sky like cotton candy. Birds, singing their chorus of love, chased each other from tree to tree, occasionally stopping to select a twig for the nest being built nearby. There are few insects to disturb this warm lazy afternoon. You just want to lie in the green grass, look up at the clouds floating by, and dream of forever. Sunday afternoons were made for this.
The first signs of trouble arrived around 3PM. Those cotton candy clouds became gray then obscured the sun, so much for that nap in the grass. Still, it was warm and there were enough yard projects to keep anyone busy into summer. Hamburgers cooked on the grill then relaxing on the deck seemed a likely end to this near perfect day. Then, off in the distance, a low rumble of thunder floated on the warm breeze. Or was that thunder? Maybe it was a high-flying jet we see and hear so often. Soon the answer arrived with a louder rumble of thunder in the distance. The horizon, obscured by dark angry clouds, was decorated with an occasional streak of lightning. It looks like a typical afternoon thunderstorm. A trip inside to check the weather radar revealed nothing spectacular. Just a small line of thunderstorms forming along the mountains 30 miles away, just like they normally do. Maybe some much needed rain will come this way. With all those wells going dry, even a little rain would be welcome. With an eye on the sky and an ear tuned toward the increasing sounds of thunder, the work outdoors continues.
A piercing beep, beep, beep jars my senses from dreams back to reality. The red band scrolling across the bottom of the TV screen is never good news. It is good I came inside to check the weather radar again. A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for northern Bedford County. At 20 miles west, and headed in my direction, it is too close for comfort. The weather radar confirms my fears. The path seems to be right over the neighborhood. The thunderstorm has gotten larger, redder too. The scrolling red band says it is moving southwest at 50 MPH. We had better hurry everything inside. With a little luck it will blow by to the south and still leave time for those grilled hamburgers. No daydreaming now. Full attention is given the sky and the weather radar. Each look seems worse than the one before. As natives to the area, we have been through this many times. As I watch the sky grow increasingly angry, I can smell those hamburgers cooking after the storm passes.
Again I jump at another round of piercing beep, beep, beep. Real trouble this time, a tornado warning has been issued for the community of Forest, about 5 miles away. As the first gusts of wind tickle the leaves and raindrops wash pollen from the trees, weather radar confirms the thunderstorm is moving my way, and at 60MPH now. It is not going to miss. Not much time to get the dog and be ready to head for the basement. A silent prayer goes out to those in the thunderstorm’s path, including us. Outside the rain slows and the wind decreases to a breeze. It is amazing how calm it is in front of the fast approaching thunderstorm. Calm? Bad Sign! Get the family together NOW! Head for the basement closet! Got the dog? We hear the wind before we see it. Trees blowing first one way then another is another bad sign. As we start down the steps, the first large maple branch twists and falls. The trees seem to be horizontal, then vertical, then twisted. The roar of the wind is like nothing we have ever heard. Surprisingly not afraid, we have never seen a tornado before, we waste no time going down the stairs. As we pass by the front door, debris slams into the storm door (good name today) with several loud bangs. No time to see what it was or if there was damage. The roar of the wind seems to chase us down the stairs and into the closet. Standing in the darkness of the well-protected closet, there is only the roar of the wind. The electricity must have gone off while we were hurrying down the stairs. Fortunately it is mid afternoon so there is not total darkness to add to our anxiety. Through it all we hear no loud crashes, crunches, or pops. That is a GOOD sign. As quickly as it began the roar of the wind disappears into the distance leaving the sounds of rain and thunder. We realize then we are safe.
Living in a split foyer style house, the lower level is partially below ground level. Our closet safe spot is located in that area. I walked out of the closet and held open the blinds to survey the area in front of the house. I saw only a sea of green leaves. Knowing there were no shrubs in front of that window, realization slowly seeps into a very confused brain. I look at my wife, still clutching the dog to her chest, and see the questioning look I have come to know in the 30 years we have been married. All I can say is ”This doesn’t look good”. The immediate danger having passed, we start back up the stairs to survey the damage. Through the pieces of leaves and debris stuck to the picture window, the first view of a war zone impacts the senses. And that view was nothing to what we could not see from there. There was one tree down in the front yard, missing the house by 3 feet. That is the tree blocking my view from our closet hideaway. Fortunately the maple we saw lose a large limb as we started downstairs had lost no more. Across the street, three poplars lay uprooted supported by power lines. A neighbor’s tree lay across the street, blocking one lane. Other trees were down in their yard. The houses we could see were still standing and had no trees on them. At least some of us were lucky. I was sure everyone would not be so lucky. Deciding it was safe to go outside, we walked through the kitchen and onto the deck. The back yard was a mass of six downed trees, shingles, and other debris. The roof of my garage was a patchwork of standing shingles, torn shingles, and bare wood, with various tree parts thrown in. The same was true for the house. To my right the tornado had touched down in my neighbor’s trees. The small utility building had 3 trees lying across the roof but still stood. The rest of the trees were either down around the building or they were just gone. In the driveway, seven trees blocked any escape. Two cars had been hit, only one sustaining damage. A 50-foot tall poplar hung over the cars at a 45-degree angle trunk cracked waiting to fall. My neighbor, alone in her house, called for my wife to come give emotional support. A quick survey of her house and yard revealed only missing shingles and too many downed trees to count. We were very lucky. But, what about the barn on the other side of my property, and the horse in it, was it still there? Quickly walking in the direction the barn should be, I saw my other neighbor headed toward the barn too. “How bad”, I yelled. “Bad”, she yelled back. Finally I could see the barn walls were still standing but something was missing. The wind chose that time to blow harder causing a strange rattle from the barn, a tin rattle. That’s it, the roof is gone, most of it at least. I wonder how the horse liked having the tornado make him a new skylight. Lets see if the horse is OK, then we will worry about the barn. Fast approaching the barn, I hear a new sound in the distance, a wailing sound. Sirens! Oh God, coming this way. An ominous feeling sweeps over me. Someone, one of our friends and neighbors, is in trouble. The sirens stop so close I can see the red lights flashing through what is left of the trees. After determining the horse was fine, and getting everyone reasonably calm again, we started to explore the neighborhood. A large
oak tree blocked the main road. Cables and power lines lay like coiled black snakes along the edge of the road. Everywhere we saw had people standing outside looking at the damage to their houses and yards. Stopping to talk at another house near the twister’s path we see not only trees down and shingles missing, but all the windows on the second floor are shattered. Aside from that, no structural damage occurred. From this location we can see the flashing emergency lights. Trees had crushed several cars. Houses nearly cut in half or with ends crushed by trees were everywhere. Obviously they were directly in the tornado’s path. A double wide lay in two pieces, one end crushed. The worst was the large pile of cinderblocks used to be a building. There were five people inside when it collapsed. Rescue crews were busy trying to get to the victims. In another direction a 40-foot house trailer lay wheels up like some dead animal. Thankfully, no one was in that one. Vinyl siding, tree parts, shingles, and lumber decorated the landscape as far as we could see. Leaving the rescue workers to do their jobs, we walked back to our homes to begin the cleanup.
There were six trees laying in my yard and three more of my neighbor’s trees lying across my yard just missing my garage. It is hard to believe so many trees fell and missed all the buildings. Everyone in the neighborhood was equally lucky with the worst damage being to the barn. We said another prayer for the others not so fortunate, and for the five people trapped in the collapsed cinderblock building. With no trees needing immediate removal in our yard, we collected the chainsaw and went next door. We removed the seven trees blocking the driveway. Next we removed the two trees lying on cars. Only one car was damaged, and that damage was cosmetic. We then moved the cars so the leaning poplar could be cut down. By 9PM we were tired and hungry, there had been no time for dinner. We put away our cleanup tools and headed to Mom’s for a hot shower. The sound of chainsaws continued well after dark.
It was confirmed as a F2 tornado. There were millions of dollars damage in the town of Bedford, Bedford County, and Campbell County, but no life threatening injuries. My house and garage have a new roof. Many of my neighbors soon will soon have new roofs too. The cleanup continues and the landscape is permanently changed. Nature will recover and man will rebuild. Life goes on a little differently now.
Copyright
2002
o. dell