The photo above is from NOAA of the April 26 1991 Red Rock (OK) tornado. Apparently they didn't capture the Cowley County tornado of that day.
Anyway, yesterday at work I hear an eerie sound come over the loud speaker - one I'd not heard in over 10 years. Everyone just stood around and I asked "whoa are we under a tornado warning?"
Yes I know the heart stopping sound of a tornado siren. I hear them in my sleep. I hear them in my nightmares even though I never heard the siren that April day. Being raised in Kansas and Oklahoma you just know that sound. You grow up with it. You live with it every year. The first few seconds tell you to grab what you're going to and find shelter - NOW.
Next over the loud speaker was that we had a weather warning and for everyone to shut down their machines and go to the nearest shelter in place. While others were standing about going WTF?, I shut down my laptop, grabbed my purse and headed to where we were supposed to go.
Was it a drill? probably. If so they picked a really bad time to do it. It was dark and a bit stormy outside. Anyone from tornado alley knows you NEVER test the sirens - which test every Tuesday where I'm from - when it's even the slightest bit stormy.
The general consensus was it was a drill even though that was never announced. It was probably a drill even though the factory was told to stop the line and shut down the machines - something they don't do even for fire drills.
I don't care if it was a drill or if someone jumped the gun on something. All I know is the seconds of heart stopping fear....and the memories that flooded back like it was just yesterday.
...not like it was over 20 years ago
photo credit NOAA. When I get my scanner set up, I will probably post photos of what was left after that fateful day in the beautiful spring of 91 ... and what wasn't left.
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