Not as seen on TV

(This is story 2 in my Joplin, Missouri tornado blogs. I want each story to be able to stand alone, whether or not you read my introduction or previous stories. If you didn’t see them, the tornado happened on May 22, 2011. Joplin has been my home town for many years. This one was originally posted July 3, 2011 on another site.)

Well, maybe a little, but not really. I am referring to the tornado destruction. The result of F5 power. Up close and personal, here in Joplin. What people see on the news is not much compared to living in the midst of it, every day. You all bear with me, I still have a lot that I haven’t shared about my experience. As I mentioned before, I guess that writing about it is one way I am dealing with it. I also think it is of interest to a few of you.

Today I want to tell you of some fascinating things I have seen. Yes, fascinating. I am not dwelling on the sadness this time, just a few of the unbelievable, once-in-a lifetime things I have seen.

I have learned why it is said that the closet of the house is a safer place to be during a tornado. While driving through completely destroyed neighborhoods, I felt like I was doing something naughty, because I was seeing the insides of stranger’s homes, some of their personal stuff. (That’s easy when the roof and most walls are gone.) In several different demolished homes, there were still clothes on hangers in the closets.

I saw what appeared to be a highway guard rail, wrapped a around a tree trunk three times. I could just sit in my car, a few feet away, staring in awe. “Am I seeing what I think I am seeing?” Speaking of trees, how about what once was a huge, 30 year-old tree, reduced to a 12 foot toothpick sticking out of the ground, with all the bark stripped off.

One day after work, I drove over to the business area directly across the street from St. John’s hospital. It was very quiet, no one was around. Much of it hadn’t been touched yet. I got out of the car and looked around. I wanted to see our dentist’s office. A mass jumble of bricks, wires, walls, office chairs, a full-color dental poster in the pile. At the counseling office nearby, the mess was similar, except that I saw a stack of business cards still sitting neatly on a desk, in the midst of the soggy debris.

I think one of the most disturbing things I have seen is vehicles, wadded up like a little pieces of tinfoil.

I am sure this is more than long enough for now anyway. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this! God bless you.