Thursday, March 31, 2022 we lucked out big time. The entire East Coast was under a severe storm and tornado watch. Our daughter was in school. At 1:40 PM our cellphones start blaring with an unrecognizable alarm. It was an Extreme Emergency Alert Tornado Warning until 2:15 PM telling us to take cover now...
Frozen in that very moment all I could think about was our daughter's safety. Did the school know? Were they taking precautions? Would she be safe? Would I ever see her again? How can I help her? All these thoughts came suddenly rushing through my mind.
I immediately texted her to let her know and she quickly replied "We're going into a tornado drill". I felt somewhat relieved for a moment and then realized that the worst was yet to come.
My wife and I both work from home and she was in the middle of interviewing a potential candidate for an open position with her company. She was focused on her interview and did not seem to be bothered by the possibility of an approaching tornado. I stood in front of her and waived to get get attention and said, we need to take cover now...tell them you'll call them back!
Meanwhile the winds around us were blowing between 40 to 60mph and it's steadily getting darker and darker. I grabbed my wife and pulled her down the hallway and into the main bathroom in the center of our house. We waited there for (what seemed like forever) 45 minutes until we heard the local news channel (which was tracking the storm's activity) that the tornado warning was over.
I immediately texted my daughter to ask if she was safe and ok...and she texted back that she was fine and that the school huddled all the students into the hallway in the middle of the school and made them sit on the floor and wait until the tornado warning was over. Here is a picture our neighbor shared with us that was taken less than 1 mile from our homes.
My wife and I looked at each other and gave a big sigh of relief and hugged each other. This was the closest we had ever come to being confronted head-on with a tornado. It was extremely scary and too close for comfort!
It's amazing how much the weather can change from one day to the next. Today is Friday, April 1, 2022 and the weather is sunny and calm with a few clouds in the sky. Tonight we're going to count our blessings and enjoy a nice bonfire. Hug the ones close to you and let them know how much you love them...you never know what will happen from one day to the next or the last time you may ever see them.
