sack316
02-17-2008, 07:58 PM
Just now getting back in, so not sure what (if any) news this may have made yet. But a tornado came ripping through poor Prattville, AL today. Fortunately thus far my family and friends all seem to be OK. My parent's house on the other hand, is an entirely different story.
I live roughly maybe 5 minutes from them, the house I grew up in for nearly 20 years. It took me about 2 hours to get there from my house today, due to roads being closed, traffic block offs, etc. I finally squeaked through a back road to an area just outside the neighborhood, parked my car and hoofed it from there.
Walking up my old street, which I had done uncountable times in my childhood and teen years, seemed normal at first. It looked like a bad thunderstorm had come through, but the structures and street itself seemed like it would any other day.
Until suddenly it was almost as if I line was drawn as I reached the top of a hill, and I found the street littered with downed power lines, toppled trees, debris, police and rescue workers, random onlookers and old neighbors. And as I neared my old home, the damage just seemed to get worse and worse... roofs were missing, houses could be seen straight through, some left to only the frame. I almost even stopped and turned back- I really couldn't imagine the house me and my baby sister played in for all our lives looking like that.
I finally arrived to find my Dad on top of the roof, alone except for the large tree from the front yard joining him atop the home. I walked around the side to go check on my Mom, and found the entire garage collaped on top of the relatively new Miata and the classic '85 RX-7. The same garage in which my and my sisters entire life is practically stored in, toppled to the ground. I continued out back to see the house behind us quite literally nearly gone. I could see many other housed like it... houses that on another day I couldn't have seen so clearly for the trees that are supposed to be there.
I went inside to find my Mom on the phone and quite in shock... half happy to see me and half upset because she told me not to try to get out to come over there. One of her first statements was "I only found on of your baseball cards... I don't know where the others are or if they are even OK". I tear up just typing that last sentence. I reassured her that I indeed have most of my collection at my apartment, which is perfectly OK. I spent the next few hours on the roof, helping my Dad patch up holes as best we could, working around branches that are now going through the roof.
My sister drove down from Montevallo to check on things, and help inside with my Mom. I really don't think the whole thing has hit either me or her yet. I went in to check on them, and noticed that the roof over my and her old bedroom may well not make it through the night... especially with that nice tree sitting on top of it as the water causes the ceiling to sag. As my sister took their cat back to Montevallo, I began rapidly trying to gather the expensive items from our since transformed rooms, to put them in safer places.
As the daylight ran out on us, I tried my best to go through a checklist of things for my still shocked parents to have packed up. Once we were fairly certain we had everything, I was ready to escort them to my Grandparents home where they will live for who knows how long. Before we hit the road, their concern was still for their son to take some food from the house that they had purchased for me this weekend. They have quite possibly lost everything at this point, and even in their shocked state their first instinct is to worry about my having enough food at my unscathed home. We finally get going in the two cars that are thankfully relatively undamaged and proceed to get them to their temporary home. Shaken and worn... but healthy and safe by the grace of God.
And now I am home, making the calls to check on everyone that couldn't be gotten ahold of. Hoping to raise a small army of people to come help out at the house tomorrow morning. And worrying what it will look like to me then, when it all may actually seem to be "real" for the first time.
Sack
I live roughly maybe 5 minutes from them, the house I grew up in for nearly 20 years. It took me about 2 hours to get there from my house today, due to roads being closed, traffic block offs, etc. I finally squeaked through a back road to an area just outside the neighborhood, parked my car and hoofed it from there.
Walking up my old street, which I had done uncountable times in my childhood and teen years, seemed normal at first. It looked like a bad thunderstorm had come through, but the structures and street itself seemed like it would any other day.
Until suddenly it was almost as if I line was drawn as I reached the top of a hill, and I found the street littered with downed power lines, toppled trees, debris, police and rescue workers, random onlookers and old neighbors. And as I neared my old home, the damage just seemed to get worse and worse... roofs were missing, houses could be seen straight through, some left to only the frame. I almost even stopped and turned back- I really couldn't imagine the house me and my baby sister played in for all our lives looking like that.
I finally arrived to find my Dad on top of the roof, alone except for the large tree from the front yard joining him atop the home. I walked around the side to go check on my Mom, and found the entire garage collaped on top of the relatively new Miata and the classic '85 RX-7. The same garage in which my and my sisters entire life is practically stored in, toppled to the ground. I continued out back to see the house behind us quite literally nearly gone. I could see many other housed like it... houses that on another day I couldn't have seen so clearly for the trees that are supposed to be there.
I went inside to find my Mom on the phone and quite in shock... half happy to see me and half upset because she told me not to try to get out to come over there. One of her first statements was "I only found on of your baseball cards... I don't know where the others are or if they are even OK". I tear up just typing that last sentence. I reassured her that I indeed have most of my collection at my apartment, which is perfectly OK. I spent the next few hours on the roof, helping my Dad patch up holes as best we could, working around branches that are now going through the roof.
My sister drove down from Montevallo to check on things, and help inside with my Mom. I really don't think the whole thing has hit either me or her yet. I went in to check on them, and noticed that the roof over my and her old bedroom may well not make it through the night... especially with that nice tree sitting on top of it as the water causes the ceiling to sag. As my sister took their cat back to Montevallo, I began rapidly trying to gather the expensive items from our since transformed rooms, to put them in safer places.
As the daylight ran out on us, I tried my best to go through a checklist of things for my still shocked parents to have packed up. Once we were fairly certain we had everything, I was ready to escort them to my Grandparents home where they will live for who knows how long. Before we hit the road, their concern was still for their son to take some food from the house that they had purchased for me this weekend. They have quite possibly lost everything at this point, and even in their shocked state their first instinct is to worry about my having enough food at my unscathed home. We finally get going in the two cars that are thankfully relatively undamaged and proceed to get them to their temporary home. Shaken and worn... but healthy and safe by the grace of God.
And now I am home, making the calls to check on everyone that couldn't be gotten ahold of. Hoping to raise a small army of people to come help out at the house tomorrow morning. And worrying what it will look like to me then, when it all may actually seem to be "real" for the first time.
Sack