Tuesday, April 3, 2012, is a day that will not soon be forgotten in the DFW area. That rarest of cosmic events transpired which put those of us living in the area in the path of not one, not two, but up to 20+ tornadoes. Most of the time thunderstorm and tornado watches leave me unconcerned. They're never really close to the area that I find myself or my loved ones in. Yesterday was different. It didn't matter where you were...you were in potential danger. My first "awareness" of the weather came in the form of a text from my son. We were planning a birthday dinner for my daughter later that evening. I texted reminders to all of the time and the location. Ryan texted back a message telling me to watch the weather. He works in Ft. Worth and was being blasted at the time. I checked the radar and, sure enough, there was a huge storm cell out there. Not long after that the secretary at the school where I was working came in to the room to make me aware that we might have to initiate emergency weather precautions (duck and cover in the hall). I was still thinking, "No big deal." Shortly the announcement came that everyone was to seek cover in the hallway. In truth, it didn't look that bad when I looked out the window. But, whatever. Fortunately I grabbed my cell phone before heading into the hall. Via cell I was able to keep up with my family and reassure my friends who were calling and texting to check on us. Keep in mind that in the hall we were cut off from computers, newscasts, etc., so we really had no idea how serious things were. Until. Yes, until I got that message that a tornado was on the ground in Forney...about 3-4 miles from my house (as the crow flies...or, in this case, as the tornado flies). My husband and puppy were home. Then I got a message saying that a tornado touched down one block from my daughter's office in Plano. Thankfully she had already left work and grabbed her kids from school so they could all take shelter in my son-in-law's office. My son-in-law in Mesquite was being told to take cover because there was a confirmed tornado in their neighborhood. Then I heard that Ft. Worth was getting a second wave of activity. I must admit, I was fearful. The people that mean the most to me in my life were in danger and there wasn't a damned thing that I could do to protect them. I don't consider myself a control freak...but I had no control and I was worried. Thinking back on things, I was never worried for my own safety. I was, however, scared to death that someone I love would be injured...or worse.
Obviously we rode out the storm. No one that I know was hurt...none of us suffered any damage to our property. We all awoke this morning to a beautiful morning that reeks of freshness and renewal. Thank you, God, for your merciful hand on all of us. And thank you, too, for the affirmation that I am loved. I can't say how very special it was to me to receive that phone call from Yola, that text from Tina, the Facebook messages from Karen and Reba (high school friends living elsewhere) and Amy (a former co-worker in Scurry) and Jo and Jeanne and so many others. They wanted to pass on the information that they were concerned and praying for me during the midst of the storm. Thank you...all of you. I have witnessed first hand the miracle of an answered prayer. I believe in the power of prayer. I believe that maybe, just maybe, if you hadn't interceded on my behalf this blog might have a different tone today...if, indeed, there even was a blog today.
When I got home after 2+ hours of being locked down in a hallway with students and strangers, we had no electricity. There was still no electricity when I went to bed at 9:30 last night. That meant no television...no computer...no reading after it started getting dark. It was quite a peaceful evening. Not something I would want to do every night, but not a bad break from the clamor of a busy life.
No electricity also meant no ability to watch the news coverage of the days events. It wasn't until this morning that I learned many of the details of yesterday's weather phenomenon...homes in a former work community destroyed (and this not the first time for Lancaster)...a former co-worker's community devastated by the twisting, roaring winds of a funnel...the cars, trucks, RVs, semis, tossed about like Hot Wheels. So in the midst of my thankfulness and humility, I feel an ache for those that were not as blessed. I ask God to reign over their lives and pour out His blessings as these individuals and families draw together and begin the process of rebuilding their lives. As they rebuild, I pray that they recognize that even in the turmoil there is a merciful God at work and that they make a place for Him in their lives as they move forward from this day. And I think..."There, but for the grace of God..."
This picture was taken from the parking lot of the Wal-Mart located in Forney at Hwy. 80 and FM 740. It is responsible for lots of damage to homes in the area and a nearby elementary school.
No comments:
Post a Comment