Here I am, sitting in an apartment (shared with two roommates) in Chautauqua, a mere four days after we were blindsided by a tornado. The transition to a new, but temporary, space is always somewhat strange, but this transition is even more so. I’m still reliving those few minutes on Friday that seemed like a lifetime.
It was somewhere near 5:00 pm on Friday when everything happened. We had been getting thunderstorms for a couple of days and the weather was hot and muggy. I’d just made a mug of hot chocolate (yes, I drink it in the spring and summer, too) and was sitting in my blogging chair when another thunderstorm started with lots of lightning, thunder and very dark skies. I like a good summer thunderstorm and so does Don, so at some point, I got up to watch it through the living room windows.
I’m going to try to describe this as best I can, but so much of it is a series of impressions and quick snapshots. I’m afraid I won’t be able to capture the panic we felt.
Suddenly, the wind changed direction and the rain was blowing sideways in a direct horizontal line. The wind seemed to be surrounding us, enveloping the house, the garden, the trees, everything – creating a vortex that was terrifying. I looked out the window and saw the top (and by that I mean about 60 feet) of our dead hickory fall. In what seemed like slow motion, it fell forward onto our front lawn. I screamed, “The tree, the tree!” and I also remember feeling grateful that it didn’t land in the road.
The power went out. I ran to unplug my computer. The wind kept up its intensity and I could hear things flying off the porch, hitting the railing. Don shouted for me to keep away from the windows. There was no way to take cover. We’d had no warning and the entrance to our basement is outside. It was terrifying. I kept running from room to room, trying to see what was happening. At the same time, I could hear Don shouting, “Stop! Please stop!” – to Mother Nature, I suppose. Because this storm, this tornado, seemed to last forever.
We felt totally at the mercy of the storm and we worried that the huge Maple would come down – on the house. In fact, I could hear things hitting the roof. To be honest, we worried that the house was going to go, with us in it.
We called 911. We called the power company.
When the wind finally died down, we surveyed the property. Another pole had snapped (this makes two this year) and the wires connecting our house, and our two neighbors’ houses, to the main pole had fallen to the ground. Cushions from the glider were on our neighbor’s property, far, far away from our house.
We went outside and saw that the top of the tree that had fallen had broken into pieces – some of them too heavy to move. One of our neighbors called out to us to ask if we were okay. He came over, along with his wife and son, and showed us a video taken with his phone. On the video was a black bear, running frantically back and forth in front of their house, clearly panicked by the tornado. It broke my heart.
It turns out that no one on our road had power. There were lines down everywhere. Power lines fell on a car, trapping a father and his children. They were okay. A woman’s car went into a ditch. She was okay. Roofs were ripped off houses. As cars came down the road and realized they couldn’t get through, we talked to the drivers. Everyone we talked to had no power, had seen outdoor tables and chairs flying through the air, had their own personal moment of terror. No one could get anywhere because huge downed trees were blocking the roads.
Eventually, the state police arrived, as well as the fire department. They blocked off the road. And then we saw something that looked like a scene from some sort of zombie movie. Groups of dazed people were walking down the road after emerging on our neighbor’s driveway, which apparently provided a path to cut through from further on down the road. Others were guided through the mass of downed wires by the police. They had had to abandon their cars. So Don started ferrying some of them home. We checked on our elderly neighbors. I picked up endless limbs and pieces of bark from the trees. My other neighbors found yet another pillow from the glider and returned it to me.
The catalpa lost a limb. So did the sugar maple.
We were all stunned. It came out of nowhere. We had no warning. Was it a tornado? Was it a microburst (just as lethal and just as powerful)? We kept hearing the word ‘tornado’ from everyone we encountered.
The power remained out for about 22 hours. The crews worked all night to replace the main pole that had snapped in two, but they couldn’t come back to connect the lines to our houses until the next afternoon. I had very little sleep because the images of what I had seen kept replaying in my head, relentless and terrifying.
By the time the power was on again, I knew I would be able to get to the train station in Albany on Sunday to head to Chautauqua. I left Don with no cable, landline or internet, but that was reconnected on Sunday afternoon.
I read this draft and realize I have been woefully inadequate in describing my terror. Our terror. Scout can’t hear very well, but she felt the changes in air pressure that occurred and she remained agitated for a long time. We are lucky. Tornados just don’t happen around here. And this one hit right smack dab in our neighborhood.
I’ve been in hurricanes. I’ve been in earthquakes. But this, my friends, was the most terrifying event I’ve witnessed. I thought it might be over. So we are profoundly grateful that we are okay and that our neighbors are okay and that it’s over.
Just read an update on the storm. The NWS has issued a preliminary report saying it was a Microburst with winds clocked at 90 -100 mph. From the National Weather Service: a microburst is a convective downdraft with an affected outflow area of less than 2½ miles wide and peak winds lasting less than five minutes. Microbursts may induce dangerous horizontal/vertical wind shears which can adversely affect aircraft performance and cause property damage. Equivalent to a EF-1 Tornado.
I started rehearsals yesterday. The days are long. I haven’t had any time to take pictures. And it’s stormy and humid here. Just like it was back home.
Happy Tuesday.
WOW! What a fright that must have been. I was frightened reading your post!! So glad you, Don and Scout, and your neighbors, are all ok.
Thank you, Vera.
I am so glad that you three and your neighbors are all safe. In Minnesota and the midwest in general, we are very familiar with tornadoes. I have never been in one myself but know people that have been in one. They describe the terror just as you have. Enjoy a peaceful time at Chata.
Thank you, Carolyn Marie.
I’m so sorry to hear about this, Claudia…I know how scary it is. It comes without warning and you just try to find somewhere safe. I’m just so glad you’re ok. We had one hit our home 15 years ago at one in the morning. It took out 5 trees, including two 40-footers…one of them hit the side of our neighbors house (thankfully only damaging a window). We lost power for a week and we were just so glad no one was hurt. It is amazing to see the damage that can happen so quickly. xoxo
It’s horrifying, isn’t it?
So glad you and Don are safe, Claudia.. It must have been so terrifying and I am sure you were so worried about your house. We rarely have anything like this in Maine and we have never seen it where we live. I hope you can settle yourself into your work, but I am sure it is hard to be away from your husband. Take care!
Susan
Thank you, Susan. Each day gets a little easier. Don’s got a friend coming over tomorrow with a chain saw to cut up the fallen tree.
Claudia, I have been reading this, sitting here at my desk, crying. I am so glad you, Don and Scout are okay. I have never been in a tornado, but there have been many very close to where I live. In the mid-60’s, my uncle and his family had one come so close to their home they watched as their basement walls started cracking. That terror I hope I never live through. In Shipshewana, Indiana, at Menno-Hof, you can go to the Tornado Theater. I know it is not the same as a real tornado, but it is close. My one girl, after going through the Tornado Theater, always kept a bag packed to take to the basement, just in case.
I hope no one was injured in the tornado. You can always replace ‘things’, but you can’t replace people.
Deb
As far as I know, no one was injured. Thank goodness!
Claudia, I could feel your fear as you shared this. That is so scary and how quickly it came up. I am so glad you and your neighbors were all OK. Property damage is bad but at least no one was seriously hurt! I’m glad you got to your job, but I know your mind is still back home. Take care and big hugs my friend.
Linda
Thank you, Linda. Slowly but surely, we’re getting over it. Being plunged into rehearsals helps!
Oh my goodness, I felt fear in the pit of my stomach as I read this Claudia! I’m so glad you, Don and Scout are okay, and that there wasn’t major damage to the cottage. I’ve been in two major wind type storms in my life and both were terrifying. Wind like that is so powerful and so scary.
It is terrifying! I’m very, very grateful we are okay and that the house is okay.
What a frightening experience. Hoping that your knowledge that you, Don and Scout came through it mostly unscathed will help restore your balance. Think about how wonderful it is that friends, neighbors, and strangers help each other out at times like those. Enjoy your time at Chautauqua, though you’ll miss home.
We sure talked to a whole lot of people we would have never had a chance to meet, otherwise.
We had a similar experience of talking to lots of neighbors in the aftermath of the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 and the Oakland Firestorm of 1991.
So glad you are all okay. Scary, scary!! Glad you were able to leave for your trip.
That’s our Spring here in Oklahoma. Now, see why I think I need a storm shelter? There is no place to go to get away from those kind of storms.
Enjoy your next few weeks.
Judy
I do see why you should have a storm shelter, Judy. You should do it.
Claudia, what a terrifying ordeal, it’s shocking enough to read, I can’t imagine what you must have gone through. I’m thankful that you, and your neighborhood are safe, and still shaking my head at the fury of nature.
Jen
It’s so powerful and this sort of thing comes out of nowhere. No time to prepare. No time to take shelter.
So very glad that you all are safe!
Thank you, Kim.
While you’re beginning to process the terror you experienced a few days ago, we’re waiting for Tropical Storm Bill to come ashore, But at least we have a warning, prep period; the out of the blue nature of the microburst magnifies its horror.
Be well.
Stay safe, Margaret.
Terrifying…helpless. Those two words come to mind right away. I’m so thankful you, your neighbors, and others in their cars were not injured…scared out of your mind is what I was thinking! If you have no warning…you have no plan to implement. When my kids were little, we used to have lots of tornado warnings going off…I had a routine…so did my kids. But, when the winds hit…the plan didn’t cover the fear I felt. It will take awhile for those feelings to go away. Stay safe…hope the weather clears so you can enjoy your time in Chatauqua! ;)
It’s still very humid here and rainy. I’m hoping it breaks soon, so we can enjoy walking around.
Oh, Claudia, I’m so relieved that the damage wasn’t any worse for you and Don! Having lived in the Midwest all my life I am no stranger to the sudden fury of a tornado and its terrifying path of destruction. I am so thankful none of you were hurt or the house badly damaged. I’m sure it feels a strange time to be away from home. I hope things settle down for you. There is a lovely article on Chautauqua in the new Victoria magazine that made me think of you. Take care, my friend! xxoo, Martha
I’m also from the Midwest but never encountered a tornado in my area, though I think there have been some in the past. Thanks, Martha.
Claudia, that is a most heart-stopping event!! Your words had my heart racing, even though, I knew you were OK. Just to relive it is terrible, I am sure. What a relief to know you are all alright. I was so scared for Scout, too. Animals senses are so keen. So happy your sweet cottage is sort of unscathed, and I hope the fright you felt will ease away soon.
On Monday, June 2nd, we were driving back to Cape Cod from a trip to Canada, on the NY State Thruway, just west of Albany, when the sky suddenly became black, the wind blew up, and blinding rain closed us in. Our cell phones beeped with tornado warnings, and we spent about 15 minutes certain we were about to be struck. The traffic was heavy, slow and you could tell everyone was frightened. We kept moving through it and safely managed to get off the highway when we reached Lenox, and found a hotel. I was fortunate to be with my wonderful companion, Lou, as he is a calm and competent driver who never lost his cool throughout the scary time. It was a very windy night. Weird weather…….
Enjoy your time at Chautauqua!
Very scary when you’re in a car with relatively little protection, Marcia. So glad you were able to get to shelter!
What a terrifying experience. What a blessing that the three of you are okay. Reading your posts brings back terrible experiences of living in Little Rock AR for 11 years which seems to ALWAYS be getting terrible storms with straight line winds over 90 mph and tornadoes. The last year that we lived there we experienced around a dozen tornado warnings in our area within a 3 month time span. I have never been so happy to leave a place in all of my life. Terrifying doesn’t even began to describe what you feel does it?
So strange for such weather to occur in your area. I fully believe that we are experiencing all of the “out of the norm” weather all over the USA because of global warming. And unless changes are made by all of us I fear it’s only gong to get worse each year.
Blessings to you and yours Claudia.
Belinda
I believe the same, Belinda. Global warming, climate change – whatever you call it, we’re seeing extreme changes because of it.
I had the same experience 15 yrs. ago. Sadly, the oldest, largest tree in the area came down right on my house. They had to bring in a full-size crane to remove it. Other than the five trees I lost, there was remarkably little damage done. This 200 yr. old house was built with tornado sway bars, in an area that doesn’t normally get tornados. Thank you, pioneer builder! I’m glad you came through it okay. You will always be nervous when you see those same weather conditions develop. I know I am.
Amazing that the house was built with sway bars! How smart of that builder!
Terrifying moments! As I type this I am waiting for the wrath of Tropical Storm Bill. The winds will be around 60 MPH, but our biggest concern is flooding. The ground is already so saturated and our rivers, streams and bayous are already overflowing. It’s times like these that make one appreciate a quiet, uneventful day. The storm is making landfall just 28 miles due south of us. I am praying that it does not spawn tornados and damaging flood waters. Please ~ if you are ever in a situation like that ( and I pray you are not) don’t go running from room to room. Take cover and wait until it’s over. Protect yourself and your loved ones first.
Big Texas Hugs,
Susan and Bentley
We have no place in which to take cover, Susan. Unless we’re given a warning and have time to go outside and go into the basement, we’re stuck. Every room has a window or three or four.
We live in Tornado Alley and yes it is terrifying every single time.
Even with the technology we have right at our back door here sometimes Mother Nature cannot be predicted.
I am sorry y’all went through this and glad everyone is okay.
It does come with it’s share of PTSD so give yourself some time to process it all
Hope you are able to settle in and enjoy the rehearsals even though it is hard to be away from Home and loved ones.
((Hugs))
I am enjoying rehearsals, Sharron. The actors are wonderful – such great spirit. And I know and love the director who I’ve worked with before, and I’m very happy to working with him again.
Oh no! I can read the terror in your words. I know this had to be so frightening and this sort of things can happen so fast! Glad you and your family are safe! Living in Texas for so many years, I’ve been through a few tornadoes and they are so scary. Take three deep breaths and thank God. Hope this will be the end of the storms.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)
I am very thankful, Shelia!
Isn’t it amazing how a close call can wreak havoc with one’s equanimity? I hope that you will calm down soon so you can get some rest. So happy everyone’s safe, Claudia. Blessings on you and yours.
♡
Thank you, Nancy!
Wind is so frightening. Like you, I enjoy a good summer storm that cools things down, but our storms thus far this summer don’t. The humidity remains as do sauna-like conditions and there is no cool down afterwards. We lived through the outskirts of a hurricane when we lived in Maryland, and of course we had those straight line Derecho winds a few years ago. We do have the luxury of a basement, but it just seems like most storms come out of nowhere without warning. So glad you had no damage to your roof or windows and that you and Don and the pup were safe. I would have been frightened to death!
Same here. The storms do nothing to break the humidity!
I cannot imagine what it was like for you, but I am very glad that you and your home are alright and have made it through. I hope that by the time you are back there things will be a little more normal again. Thank goodness for emergency services. xx
They were incredible, Amy. They worked long and hard and were always gracious and helpful.
When I was a kid, we were camping at Seneca Lake, NY and we were having bad thunderstorms. We watched a waterspout form over the lake and it moved to shore! It caused a lot of damage to the shoreline and those camping near the shore. We were camping up on a hill and watched the destruction occur and could hardly believe what we were seeing. Very frightening! Here in IL, I get very anxious when there are tornado watches & warnings. We have warning sirens and the local weather forecasters are very good at what they do. I don’t have a basement and have to use my guest bathroom as my safe room. So glad to hear you & Don are safe!
No safe room for us in the house, although if we had to, we’d climb in the bathtub, I guess!
Oh Claudia. So good to hear you and Don and Scout are all ok… and hopefully recovering from the trauma.
I hope you can have a good time on this job and soon feel better. It must be awful to keep going over it.
Stay safe
Suezk
I’m slowly getting better and being thrown into my work is helping.
I am so glad you and yours are all ok. I have been through many weather traumas and they always make me so grateful for my safety. It can put many things into perspective.
It absolutely does, Teresa.
So glad to hear from you and that – basically – all is well. Power outages, downed trees, stuff blown from yard to yard – and pure terror. That’s plenty enough to deal with. Thank God no lives were lost and no one’s home is now a pile of toothpicks. Glad you were able to get safely to Chautauqua and on schedule too. Hope you have three placidly-beautiful weeks there to recover and enjoy Chautauqua… :>)
Me too, Janet! Tomorrow morning I’m going to try to grab some time to walk down to the lake. Haven’t had time to do that yet.
The fury of these storms is hard to comprehend. About 25 years ago we lived nearby, but in a smaller town of about 1200. A tornado hit one June evening and 1/2 of our town was literally shredded, and the other 1/2 was untouched. We lost a few people in the area. It was so hard to understand. One thing EVERYONE learned is to always always know where your shoes are. Keep them by the bed/ by the doors./ in the basement. Even if your house is not hit, just walking outside can be so dangerous. They found pieces of people’s mail and their photos about 25 miles away. As we drove down some country roads a few months later, we could see the path of the storm. I remember thinking I could understand how myths were born centuries ago as we saw huge trees pulled up by the roots and scattered. Just 50 feet away and nothing had been touched. It looked as if a giant had walked through the woods and just picked and threw things.
So glad everyone was safe. I know you are busy but I also believe that your thoughts aren’t all in Chautauqua. It takes a while for those sounds and sights to push back in our memory.
That must have been absolutely terrifying, Chris. And heartbreaking.
They give the same advice for earthquakes. Keep shoes by the bed because there will be broken glass everywhere.
So glad you, Don, and Scout are safe, and thank God Mockingbirdhill Cottage didn’t suffer great damage. My heart hurts for those that lost roofs. Even if they have insurance, there is great suffering that accompanies that kind of loss. Try to enjoy your working time and not worry about home. I’m sure Don is holding the fort just fine. Something completely off the subject……how do you fix your hot chocolate? I try to keep my weight down and am very strict with what I consume. You look great and just wondered if you made a special ‘low cal’ mix. Thank you. Patty Mc
Oh, I gained some weight this year, Patty. But I don’t think it was from hot chocolate, but from all the other sweets I was eating! I fix it with milk. Sometimes 2% milk. But I don’t skimp too much, otherwise it just doesn’t taste like hot chocolate!
So scary. it reminds me of a few years ago we had the straight linewinds. I think they were called Jercho’s???? They hit all over the place. I was home with my mother and outside. Trees were falling everywhere. Then they would skip 30 miles and strike again. There was no warning.
I’m glad that everyone is okay and not a lot of damage. Crazy weather everywhere.
Indeed. There is crazy weather everywhere! Thanks for the good wishes, Debby.
Because you’re a terrific writer, you described the tornado/microburst very well and I could feel it and it made me scared. I have only been slightly at the mercy of Mother Nature in my ‘whole-entire’ life (including earthquakes) so I can’t know what it must have been in entirety for you but I feel you’re darn lucky. Where I am because of drought, trees which have been here ‘forever’ are drying even when deeper-rooted…so, the ones with a more shallow root system are so vulnerable and, even dried out, can cause such damage when they keel over. This is when I don’t miss my last house as much, because we had three massive oak trees too close to the old 1920s-era house, having grown steadily on the hillside since the mid-1800s, and our neighbor had an out-of-control-tall evergreen/pine(?) which a tropical storm blowing from sea to inland could have blown down since it was mostly dead anyway…and it would have blown down directly on our detached garage and probably the west wing of our home. We would worry about it, but we couldn’t get that old guy to ever address the problem of his tree. I can’t really duck & cover much in my current house and maybe I should rethink it, but every table is next to or underneath a window (potential broken glass). I can see where your blowing stuff could have very easily slammed into your windows rather than away from your porch; can you imagine the loss, damage, inconvenience, heartache. Just projectiles in that, as you say, (otherworldly) vortex. Let’s hope it was a one-time event; a once-in-a-lifetime event. I worked for a guy when I lived on the Gulf Coast who told me that when he was a kid, living in Houston, a tornado essentially came right thru his childhood home and that he could never forget the sound, like the roar of a freight train.
We can’t duck and cover either – we have lots and lots of windows – everywhere. But believe me, we were very grateful that nothing came through the windows!
Claudia, So glad you and Don are okay and that things are being done to return things to normal. What a scare. Poor Scout. She may need extra hugs. Blessings, xoxo,Susie
We gave her lots of hugs. Now, she’s going through the adjustment of me not being there. It’s been hard for her.
Such a scary thing to go through. So glad everyone is ok.
Many Hugs!!
Thank you, Nancy!
I am glad you are okay and had no serious damage. It must have been terrifying as you said.
I am afraid of tornados. I saw the damage it did to my uncles neighborhood in central Florida. It was unbelievable. His house was destroyed but he was okay.
Oh My Claudia..I believe that is what they call a living nightmare..I am so glad that you are all safe now..Hugs..
Claudia – can you believe it? I’m just getting a chance to read this post. I knew YALL were ok , because I had read the previous two posts that made mention of the storm.
But I wanted to read what happened. Tornadoes, thunderstorms, microbursts , etc– are so frightening! I have high anxiety when bad weather erupts!
Right now the weathermen are telling us to brace for more slow moving rainfall– the kind that brings FLASHFLOODING as Tropical Storm Bill heads right up through Texas! As if we need more flas flooding and rain!
This morning the weatherman said a few small Tornadoes might spin off … But nothing significant. Hello! TORNADOES are significant to me buddy!
It sounds terrifying , this storm. I’m glad you weathered the storm and you’re all safe.
The really scary part to me was seeing the pictures of downed lines! It’s a miracle there was no loss of life due to that reason alone.
Hope you’re able to rest peacefully and not worry while away from your family.
Hi Claudia,
I was thinking about on Friday afternoon when I was watching the weather for severe storms. I live in northwest Connecticut and could see on the radar that your area had stormy weather.
I’m glad you and your family are safe.
How horrifying. Glad that you, Don, and Scour are okay.
I’m catching up on your posts. I wish I had read them in the correct order. My goodness things have been happening to you/yall. I know you must have been beside yourself. I’ve never heard of this wind thingy. So scary.