Look, a tornado...now what do we do?

Coco · Feb 8, 2008

On Wednesday night/Thursday morning Feb 6/7th we found ourselves driving straight into the path of a tornado on I-65 in south central Kentucky. Thanks to a local trucker on the CB we were able to tune in to a local radio station that was tracking the storm(s). As Tod drove, I located the counties with touch downs and the predicted cities in the path. Luckily we were able to sandwich ourselves in Glasgow KY where the storm we had came out of was now to the North of us and the other storm path was well enough west of us that we could then head south to avoid it.

In any event, I found myself reaching for the "important" things, you know like in the event of a fire at home, you have a pretty good idea of what to grab on the way out the door.

I thought the most important thing to do was to get dressed, as I was sleeping. Of course the purse with the DL and the ID's, insurance cards etc., then the notebook with all the account #'s, addresses, well no wait a minute, should I take that or the laptop, now should I grab the last back up disc? Hmmm....let me grab my necklace (a cherished gift from Tod) wait a minute, that kind of stuff can be replaced, I have to remember to keep a open arm for Gabby, our dog.....man, this can get confusing and I can only carry so much while running, heck I mean I can't run and carry much!

For any of you who know me you would have to admit seeing me run with a dog under one arm, a purse on my shoulder, a notebook under my other arm and a laptop in the other hand would have to be a funny sight.

I have to admit a tornado in February is something we would never plan for but as we travel this great country we have to be prepared for every adverse condition.

So..what would you do?

OntarioVanMan · Feb 8, 2008

We too were on 65 that night...the rain and wind rocked the van so hard neither one of us could get any sleep...I guess we threaded the needle.....saw the red glow of that natural gas plant in the distance.....awesome an somewhat scary sight. Worse thing..you can't see it coming till its too late.

JustUsTrucking · Feb 8, 2008

We were on I57 In IL nb when the strong winds and rain hit us. We saw a Schieder truck blow over in to the median and figured that was enough for us. We stopped to make sure the driver was ok, he was but wanted to stay in the truck out of the rain. I ran back acrossthe freeeway just to have the wind blow my glasses off . 1 hour later found my specs and headed north . We lost count after 15 trucke in the median on I57nb between I24 and the IL/IN stateline. WHAT A NIGHT!!!!!!!

Jack_Berry · Feb 8, 2008

tuesday nite i was in transit from auburn in to lafayette on ind 24. sometime after logansport the road goes down into the low lands and there were a few signs stating high water on road. at one such site there was indeed the river next to the road and water racing like rapids downhill and looking quite photogenic bouncing thru the divots in the pavement. earlier the wind was blowing the rain in sheets across the road in front of me. it was quite mesmerizing. then after ind 31 it all stopped and the road was dry in some spots.

the next day after loading in lafayette i needed fuel and went in towards indy and it started raining hard. i decided to stay on the interstate and add miles rather than run the uphill gauntlet of water on 24.

i noticed that it is going down to -7 in wisc tomorrow. its raining thereright now. the nice young lady at the 280 toll both said that if all the rain that happened tues, wed and what thurs(?) had been snow it would have been 37 inches. i lived in chgo in 67 when we got 21 inches in 24 hrs but 37 is more than i want to see at one time.

Falligator · Feb 9, 2008

I was sittin at the J in Walton, KY when they got their storms. Nothing but that the van rocked a little for a while and that was about it. Great for sleeping. The next day I took off, and about 1330 a squall line came through. This one was pretty fierce and twisted the traffic lights around the pole like when you roll up a wet towel to snap someone with it. It blew my van around pretty good on the highway, but to my amazement, there was a rainbow and the end of it was at the tail end of a truck in front of me. This was pretty cool, except there was no pot of gold nearby, nor was the lucky charms dude. lol. If anyone finds me pot of gold please let me know.
Well, I'm sitting here at the J at exit 26 off of I 95 in Georgia about to go into Florida for a much needed break. So until i talk to ya'll later.....Adeux.

ThibodeauxBayou · Feb 9, 2008

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silverdollar · Feb 10, 2008

Coco said:
On Wednesday night/Thursday morning Feb 6/7th we found ourselves driving straight into the path of a tornado on I-65 in south central Kentucky. Thanks to a local trucker on the CB we were able to tune in to a local radio station that was tracking the storm(s). As Tod drove, I located the counties with touch downs and the predicted cities in the path. Luckily we were able to sandwich ourselves in Glasgow KY where the storm we had came out of was now to the North of us and the other storm path was well enough west of us that we could then head south to avoid it.

In any event, I found myself reaching for the "important" things, you know like in the event of a fire at home, you have a pretty good idea of what to grab on the way out the door.

I thought the most important thing to do was to get dressed, as I was sleeping. Of course the purse with the DL and the ID's, insurance cards etc., then the notebook with all the account #'s, addresses, well no wait a minute, should I take that or the laptop, now should I grab the last back up disc? Hmmm....let me grab my necklace (a cherished gift from Tod) wait a minute, that kind of stuff can be replaced, I have to remember to keep a open arm for Gabby, our dog.....man, this can get confusing and I can only carry so much while running, heck I mean I can't run and carry much! For any of you who know me you would have to admit seeing me run with a dog under one arm, a purse on my shoulder, a notebook under my other arm and a laptop in the other hand would have to be a funny sight.

I have to admit a tornado in February is something we would never plan for but as we travel this great country we have to be prepared for every adverse condition.

So..what would you do?

I would make Tod help me carry something.

Crazynuff · Feb 10, 2008

You should have a NOAA weather radio and seek some type of shelter if a tornado nears . A truck will not protect you . They had a tornado in GA several years back and the owner of a produce company was killed when the tornado tossed the straight truck he was driving .

ThibodeauxBayou · Feb 10, 2008

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GittinThere · Feb 10, 2008

We were home Tuesday night in Tn waiting to pick up a load in Louisville Ky. on Wed. morning when the Tornado came through our small county. Had we known the destruction to our county and surrounding counties was so severe, we would have asked Fed Ex to see if they could get someone else to run the load. But, since all the electricity was out, we had no idea at the time we left to pick up the load how bad it really was. When we left it was so dark we drove on state highways right through where the tornado had come through and couldn't see the damage. The tornado killed an elderly couple just 2 miles from our house. Since we live real close to the county line, we also were only 3 miles from the place where the 11 month old child was found alive after the storm had killed his 23 year old mother. Who is originally from our county. We knew the young lady very well, she Graduated with our youngest daughter, and her parents live less than 2 miles from us, the Tornado came close to their house also. The Tornado also tore down very large TVA lines coming into our county, we finally got electricity back on early Sat. morning. After tearing down those lines it crossed a large hill and set it sites on a large Columbia Gulf natural gas pumping station, where it tore it open and lightning struck it and set it on fire. Luckily the station is automated at night and no one was there. The flames from the fire made it look like the sun was on the ground shinning up into the sky, like a reverse sunset. The flames could be seen by the news station cameras in Nashville some 50 miles away. They said the flames reached 400 feet into the air. They were able to turn off the Gas and 2-3 hours later the flame was extinguished. After the pumping station the tornado set it sites on Macon County, where the largest number of deaths was accounted for. On top of all this, there was a Minister and his Family, Wife and 2 children, killed in an auto accident, while trying to help in Macon County. We understand that they were stopped behind a Semi at a stop light when another semi truck failed to stop and crushed them between the two trucks. As bad as all this sounds, there were also many miracles and bright spots, like the 11 month old who survived, and the many students at Jackson University, as well as many other stories. Our Family as well as others, Thank the Lord, as we all should daily and count ourselves very fortunate not to have the losses so many in our community have, with all the destruction that the tornado caused. Our Prayers go out to them.

smarian · Feb 10, 2008

I live in Miami since 2000 and I ve been through 5 hurricanes since, of which 2 landfalled in my back yard, including Katrina (was cat 1 at the time though). This storm was worse than the hurricanes. Quite scary. It is true I was in a concrete home during the hurricanes not in a van, rambling on highways.

I was on state road TN 45 south of Jackson.

Critter Truckin · Feb 11, 2008

We were sitting in West Point, MS that night. We had been watcihng local news all night and they were giving updates. At first, it didn't look like anything was coming our way. Everything coming into MS was from LA and AR and heading towards TN at a decent clip. There were tornados dropping here and there, but not tons of damage. I went to sleep looking at the radar, and thought, now that one looks like it has a chance.

At around 130, I was startled awake by the rain coming in thru the vents and the little window fan thingy in the ceiling. I shut them all, and almost got knocked over in the truck by the wind. Just after I lay down, I heard the scariest thing ever. Tornado sirens. I thought at that point, there's nowhere to go, so might as well sleep and say I died quietly. But, it missed us somehow, and didn't hear of anything coming thru there.

Bottom line is this, if you see it, you're screwed. Best thing to do, give a kiss, say a prayer, an hope St. Peter likes the movie of your life.

Coco · Feb 11, 2008

silverdollar said:
I would make Tod help me carry something.

Well that was a thought but I guess I just figured his arms were too tired from holding the wheel. Your response did give us a chuckle!

Falligator · Feb 13, 2008

Ahh...sitting here at the J in San Antonio, Fl just getting fuel. Had some tornados around the area last night. I guess one hit Coco Beach area and there were a couple of other ones. Well, back up to the batcave....I'm not sitting at the truck stop all day. Just getting on here to check the latest news and views.
Current temp.....68F with scattered rain showers.
Low tonight......39F....what to do....what to do! Guess I may fire up the heater tonight...
High tomorrow....71F.

cheri1122 · Feb 13, 2008

Coco makes an excellent point: if you have only seconds to grab whatever you cannot replace, you'd better know what to grab, and where it is. I haven't done the simple chore of making a list, even, of what I consider irreplaceable, much less attempting to secure it safely, and I resolve to move that chore to the top of my 'to do' list. Does anyone have any recommendations on a fireproof container?
BTW: Kentucky seems to be getting creamed, weatherwise: I drove through on Mon/Tues night, and sat on 71 for 3 hours, waiting for several wrecked trucks to be moved. (I always wish I could get a nice nap when that happens, but I have this idea that no one would wake me up when it's time to move. They'd just go around, leaving me sitting in the middle of the interstate, snoring

Then it took 20 minutes to drive the 6 miles to the Pilot, at which point I decided to stay there awhile. Rush hour in Louisville is nuts enough, without the ice follies! I lost track of the number of vehicles that went off the road, that morning, but it validated the decision to get off the road in a controlled manner, instead. I delivered the load 4 hours late, but safely, and that's what matters, IMO.

are12 · Feb 13, 2008

Ever since Coco posted this, I have been asking myself what I would grab, if we had to vacate the truck in a hurry. I have come to realize, that I would probably grab nothing! Except Jim, of course.

There is nothing in this truck that is worth risking my life over. Just about everything in this truck could be replaced - some things may just take longer than others.

I learned many years ago, when my children and I lost everything we owned except the clothes on our back to a fire, that nothing is more important than my loved ones being OK. Sure, there are things that I wish I still had, like my pictures, the kids trophies and a few other things but as long as I have the memories and my children to share them with, I am grateful.

That few minutes it would take you to gather up, what you feel is important, could just cost you your life and that cannot be replaced.