The following is a story about how my little town in central Illinois was changed forever!
On Saturday evening November 16, 2013 I was deciding whether or not to go to church in the morning. I had heard we were supposed to be getting some storms and since my husband wasn't feeling well I didn't know if I wanted to take all three boys to church in the rain by myself. So when I woke up Sunday morning I saw that the weather was fine, no rain, almost cloudless sky. So I packed up the kids headed to church while my husband stayed home.
Church let out at about 10:30 I went and picked up all three kiddos and headed out to the parking lot to go home. I left my church at about 10:45 am, and was planning on going to take back some movies to the video store. (Later I found out that the tornado struck my church parking lot at about 10:50 am). About the time I get to an intersection, which is where I could either go straight and head home or turn to take some back roads to the video store, was when I got a message on my phone. The message stated that there was a weather emergency and to take cover. I had never seen this type of message before and just thought it was my weather app on the phone, a few seconds after that alert the radio weather alert kicked in and began stating there was a tornado warning for a few counties over. It also said that the expected arrival of the storm in my town was 11:05 am, it was now 10:55 am.
About this same time I receive a phone call from my brother, who lives about 45 minutes away and he was telling me what was coming and to take shelter. My response to him was I am driving as fast as I can to get home. I was still headed towards the video store to return my movies.
Since I have lived in Central Illinois my whole life I am used to tornado watches and warnings being issued, and usually I can spot in the sky when its about to happen. That day was not the case, this storm came so fast and so strong it was nothing I had ever seen before. The sky was clear, there was no rain or anything! Then all of a sudden black sky!
After hanging up with my brother I try to call my husband at home to let him know what I was doing. By the time I got to a stop light about a half mile from the video store, it was dark and beginning to rain. While driving down the road towards the video store I was watching the sky and began to see the rotation begin in the clouds. I ran into the video store and threw the movies in, jumped back into the car and the power goes out and hail begins. In hindsight I should have stayed at the video store and rode out the storm. But I decided to try to get home. I go speeding down the road towards town and all the while watching to my right now as the tornado is forming. I get to another stop light and can see the huge mass of a tornado getting closer and closer to where my boys and I were in the van. It was at this point that I begin praying and asking God for wisdom to know what to do, I was scared to death!
I suddenly stop the car and turn around because I was getting ready to drive right into the oncoming tornado. I go flying through some parking lots and it starts pouring rain, almost to the point I couldn't see where I was driving. In my rearview mirror I am watching the tornado, all of a sudden it looks as though its going to turn and come back, but it moves on.
We sit at the shopping center for a few minutes and then I decide its time to get home. I head back to the road that I was on before, only to get stopped because of downed power lines. On the side of the road are about 3 cars with window busted out. Its at that moment I realize had I kept driving another 30 seconds I would have been right in the middle of the tornado! And had I stayed put and not turned around we could have had debris flying into our car! God totally answered my prayer for wisdom and told me to get out of there!
After several attempts to get ahold of my husband at home to let him know we were ok, I was finally able to get through. It also took me several attempts to find a road that was passable. Driving down the highway all I could see was places where houses once stood, and debris filled fields! Siding, mattresses, couch cushions, books, and papers. Driving through town to get back to my house, which was fine and my side of town was untouched, there were people standing out in front of their houses with unsure looks on their faces. I finally reached my house and was so shaken up I had a hard time getting out of the car!
I am so thankful that I had the wisdom to turn my car around and that we were unharmed! Later I found out that about 250-500 homes in my town were damaged or leveled. Still later I found out that I know 5 of them. Through it all there was only one person who died, and only a handful of injuries. Thankfully people heeded the warnings and sirens and took shelter. Most in my town were either at church or getting ready to sit down and watch a football game.
No comments:
Post a Comment