Minutes to Memories

I would like to begin by noting that South Mississippi is NOT in "tornado alley." Now if someone would please notify the tornadoes.

Two days ago, Gene Logan and I had a conversation with Joe Roberts, preacher for the Orange Avenue Church of Christ in Eustis, Florida. (And I should note that Eustis, Florida, is nowhere close to Tornado Alley thank you.) This church was next to the hardest hit area of the killer tornadoes that devastated central Florida recently, and Gene & I were calling to get an update on their relief efforts and see where we possibly could help.

In that conversation, Joe (and Gene) confirmed my longstanding proclamation that hurricanes are preferable to tornadoes. I realize, of course, that I lost my house to a hurricane & have only lost sleep to tornadoes, but I stand by my statement nonetheless. Hurricanes give you a couple of days to get somewhere safe. Tornadoes give you a couple of seconds to try to assume a fetal position.

Well this morning was exciting in South Mississippi.

Jody left our house at 6:40am, and Hillary & I left at 6:50am. I dropped Hillary off at school and drove down Highway 90 toward work. At certain points on the drive, sudden sheets of rain rendered seeing ahead impossible, even with windshield wipers on top speed, but I made it to the office without incident. When I arrived, I noticed that a small pond had formed by the fellowship room door because the rains had come so hard that it blew in under the door, so I took the time to mop up that mess.

Then I went upstairs and turned on the computer. I went to our local television station's website to get a weather update. There, I read that a tornado had been sighted near Exit 57 (our exit) and that the windows of a van had been blown out near my subdivision. Later, I read that there was damage near the Middle School (which I had driven by that morning).

After we had called around and cancelled out morning events at the building, I drove out to our house. It was perfectly fine, but several houses leading into our subdivision were missing siding, shingles, and parts of fences.

I really don't mind living in hurricane country, but I could do without facing the tornadoes, too.
:-)