Day 2 Tornado- Joe

Hi again Grandma!

Today has been a very interesting day. There was a tornado warning issued out because it was spotted in the area. A warning is different than a watch as you might know, a warning is when the tornado has actually been seen and touched the ground, while a tornado watch is where there is no tornado yet but there is one to be expected. I was very scared and kind of excited because I had never actually seen a tornado in real life before.

In the beginning of the day I woke up around 11:00 a.m. only to hear it thunder storming outside. I turned on the radio immediately to hear that there was a tornado watch and that anytime it would touch down. The temperature for the day was 65 degrees outside and that was just enough for a tornado, also the dew point was 46. I was on the Internet most of the day learning about what to do during a tornado so I could do what was necessary to save myself and my family. Later in the day around 3:00 p.m. it started to hail. I then looked outside to see a greenish sky. I began to get scared as I knew that these are signs right before a tornado. Then shortly after the warning was issued out saying that it was classified as an F5 tornado! These types are very rare and they are known to carry away houses and throw large cars and have a wind speed of 318 mph!

I heard the wind starting to pick up so I got mom and dad and my sisters to go downstairs and sit in the corner where there are no windows. It is safest there because there are no windows and you are safe from blowing away because you are at the lowest level possible. If I wasn't at home and I had to place to go the best way for survival is to hide in a ditch and cover your head, to prevent debris from falling on top of you. To learn more about tornado safety click here. During a F5 tornado you wouldn't want to be outside because even if you are in a ditch the wind will most likely blow you away. All of a sudden it got quiet, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. All the rain had stopped, no wind, nothing. I started to walk back upstairs thinking it was over already, but my mom pulled me back knowing because she had been through one before. All of a sudden I started hearing a sound that sounded like a freight train, then all the windows in the basement just broke all at once, I could feel the wind, and I was all the way over on the other side of the basement too! I began to see a cloud of grey at the window, the sound of the tornado was almost unbearable for how loud it was. This went on for a minute, then all of a sudden it got quiet again...

As I walked upstairs I noticed that there was no more door and I could see outside all ready from looking up the stairs. The house had been demolished and nothing but rubble was left. I felt happy though, happy to be alive.

Talk to you soon with more updates

- Joe