Anonymous Poster
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There's a song by the same name. My Little Texas Tornado. The guy sings about this tornado like it's something he's fond of, course he's talking about a woman, but that's what country music seems to be all about. Keep 'em confused. I don't have any fond feelings or memories of tornadoes like the guy in the song does. The tornado scare I had the other day reminded me of two things. I only have one vivid memory of a real tornado, and I'll never forget it. Two, I don't ever want to go through it again.
Growing up in central Texas I've seen a few, but none struck me so deeply or stayed with me so long as the one in the summer of '68. Dad was working in Beaumont, Tx I think, so it was us four kids and mom at home alone, and bless her heart, she had her hands full with just me, much less three more besides, and my brother Larry was in bed deathly ill with the German measles.
I was off wading in the creek huntin' for crawdads, exactly where I wasn't supoosed to be, when the sky went dark and forbidding. It wasn't an unusual occurence, but this time seemed different. One look at the sky and I knew that this was no ordinary storm and that I needed to go on home and not weather it out under the bridge or at a freind's house. I felt the inexpilicable need to be near my mother.
Funny how a raging sky can bring emotions of nervous fear and extreme excitement, well maybe that's just me, but I remember walking home fairly quickly, marveling at the early afternoon darkness, and to this day I vividly remember a yellowish cast on everything, like the sun was somewhere just behind one of those swirling black clouds trying to force its way through.
When I reached the house, mom was racing frantically about opening windows, which I found odd since a storm was clearly on the way and why would she want to let the rain in? She settled the mystery for me the minute she saw me.
"There's a tornado alert, we have to get these windows open and get your brothers bed moved into the hallway! Hurry up, don't just stand there! Oh Lord! Why did I leave Ohio?!"
The television, I noticed, was broadcasting a fuzzy snowy picture, but a man's voice from the radio on the kitchen table was rapid and ominous...."find the lowest part of your house or a hallway, anywhere that is far away from windows....this is going to be a big one folks....stay tuned to KIKR for the latest updates....."
I walked about pretty well numb except for the dull thudding of my heart. I knew I should be afraid but I had no idea how afraid or why. My two sisters and my mom and I heaved and pulled until we had my brothers bed, a bunk bed no less, crammed as best as possible into the hallway.
Now that I was free from preparation activites I started to roam around the house. I ventured into the living room and stared. The curtains were being sucked against the screens and then blown out so hard that they were plastered against the ceiling. Papers and other lightweight items were being blown around the room and I could feel a vibration in the wood floor under my feet. The radio signal was coming in and out, with short spurts of static and an electronic whine in between.
"Stay away form the windows!" My mother shouted, and it occured to me that I could barely hear her though she was only a few yards away. I couldn't help myself, I was drawn to the living room window that faced east and stood in the opening.
The open field across from the house was invisible, there was nothing but a swirling gray mass with bits of debris being whipped around in the wind. As I watched the chaos outside, the window in my brother's room shattered and was immedlatley followed by another somewhere in the back of the house.
Remembering my mother's warning I stepped back from the window and ran back to the hallway. It was hard to breathe. Taking a breath was something I had always taken for granted until that day and I can still feel the panic when I remember having to fight to draw air into my lungs. We sank to the floor and huddled there half under Larry's bed, my mom praying....."please Lord, just let it miss us....Lord....in your infinite wisdom please put your hand over our little house..." and one to my father..."Jim, I swear to God if you ever leave me alone like this again...."
The house was literally rocking on it's foundation and I could hear the sound of shingles being ripped off the roof. Something large hit the side of the house and I heard wood splinter. I later learned that it was the swing set in the back yard.
Within minutes the wind began to calm and I could hear my mother, still talking to Jesus, without straining my ears, and I knew that it was over.
We learned later that the tornado was an F3 and had just grazed us. We were very lucky as an F3 would have easily dipatched our small wood frame house to the four winds in no time at all. I'll never forget that day, and some things never change. I still get very afraid and very excited at the thought of severe weather. Hard to deal with those two emotions at once.
Growing up in central Texas I've seen a few, but none struck me so deeply or stayed with me so long as the one in the summer of '68. Dad was working in Beaumont, Tx I think, so it was us four kids and mom at home alone, and bless her heart, she had her hands full with just me, much less three more besides, and my brother Larry was in bed deathly ill with the German measles.
I was off wading in the creek huntin' for crawdads, exactly where I wasn't supoosed to be, when the sky went dark and forbidding. It wasn't an unusual occurence, but this time seemed different. One look at the sky and I knew that this was no ordinary storm and that I needed to go on home and not weather it out under the bridge or at a freind's house. I felt the inexpilicable need to be near my mother.
Funny how a raging sky can bring emotions of nervous fear and extreme excitement, well maybe that's just me, but I remember walking home fairly quickly, marveling at the early afternoon darkness, and to this day I vividly remember a yellowish cast on everything, like the sun was somewhere just behind one of those swirling black clouds trying to force its way through.
When I reached the house, mom was racing frantically about opening windows, which I found odd since a storm was clearly on the way and why would she want to let the rain in? She settled the mystery for me the minute she saw me.
"There's a tornado alert, we have to get these windows open and get your brothers bed moved into the hallway! Hurry up, don't just stand there! Oh Lord! Why did I leave Ohio?!"
The television, I noticed, was broadcasting a fuzzy snowy picture, but a man's voice from the radio on the kitchen table was rapid and ominous...."find the lowest part of your house or a hallway, anywhere that is far away from windows....this is going to be a big one folks....stay tuned to KIKR for the latest updates....."
I walked about pretty well numb except for the dull thudding of my heart. I knew I should be afraid but I had no idea how afraid or why. My two sisters and my mom and I heaved and pulled until we had my brothers bed, a bunk bed no less, crammed as best as possible into the hallway.
Now that I was free from preparation activites I started to roam around the house. I ventured into the living room and stared. The curtains were being sucked against the screens and then blown out so hard that they were plastered against the ceiling. Papers and other lightweight items were being blown around the room and I could feel a vibration in the wood floor under my feet. The radio signal was coming in and out, with short spurts of static and an electronic whine in between.
"Stay away form the windows!" My mother shouted, and it occured to me that I could barely hear her though she was only a few yards away. I couldn't help myself, I was drawn to the living room window that faced east and stood in the opening.
The open field across from the house was invisible, there was nothing but a swirling gray mass with bits of debris being whipped around in the wind. As I watched the chaos outside, the window in my brother's room shattered and was immedlatley followed by another somewhere in the back of the house.
Remembering my mother's warning I stepped back from the window and ran back to the hallway. It was hard to breathe. Taking a breath was something I had always taken for granted until that day and I can still feel the panic when I remember having to fight to draw air into my lungs. We sank to the floor and huddled there half under Larry's bed, my mom praying....."please Lord, just let it miss us....Lord....in your infinite wisdom please put your hand over our little house..." and one to my father..."Jim, I swear to God if you ever leave me alone like this again...."
The house was literally rocking on it's foundation and I could hear the sound of shingles being ripped off the roof. Something large hit the side of the house and I heard wood splinter. I later learned that it was the swing set in the back yard.
Within minutes the wind began to calm and I could hear my mother, still talking to Jesus, without straining my ears, and I knew that it was over.
We learned later that the tornado was an F3 and had just grazed us. We were very lucky as an F3 would have easily dipatched our small wood frame house to the four winds in no time at all. I'll never forget that day, and some things never change. I still get very afraid and very excited at the thought of severe weather. Hard to deal with those two emotions at once.
