Captain_Oblivious
DIS Dad #257, Galactic Salad Dodger
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2008
I'm so glad you and your family are safe, Liesa. The photos of the area are just jaw-dropping. Entire towns wiped off the map. Will be praying for the community.
The ABCs of Starting Over- OR to KY Roadtrip + WDW 50th Ann. Trip 9/28-10/4; Day 6 and REPORT COMPLETE!
- Thread starter Steppesister
- Start date
I'm so glad you and your family are safe, Liesa. The photos of the area are just jaw-dropping. Entire towns wiped off the map. Will be praying for the community.
juniorbugman
<font color=blue>New car vs another cruise?? THAT
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2001
I am glad to hear that you and your family are okay. I did think of you when I heard the news and hoped that all was well. Stay safe.
Wood Nymph
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2012
I am glad to hear that you and your family are safe. I thought about you and how you have moved from a state that experiences one type of natural disaster, i.e. wildfires, to another type, i.e. tornadoes.
vamassey1
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2005
have never heard of this book but our first home was located at the Four Winds. Obviously a different Four Winds as it’s named because it would blow you away at times. Wind coming from all four directions
The book "Four Winds" is written by Kiristin Hannah and covers the dust bowel years. The family in the book leaves Texas for hopefully a better life in California but has to cross the desert.
Your Four Winds sounds way more fun.
vamassey1
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2005
Liesa I'm thinking of you as you prepare for surgery and those around you deal with the aftermath of this weekend. My heart goes out to everyone who has suffered.
I enjoyed your two updates especially the Barstow update. I know your stay was scary but it was really entertaining. I'm also glad you found some good food. The salt flats were interesting, I too wish you had seen more of the water areas.
Take care!
I enjoyed your two updates especially the Barstow update. I know your stay was scary but it was really entertaining. I'm also glad you found some good food. The salt flats were interesting, I too wish you had seen more of the water areas.
Take care!
luvpoohandcompany
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2009
So glad to hear you and your family are all safe. Thinking of all those affected 
Wishing you well for your surgery today and hoping you have a speedy recovery.
Wishing you well for your surgery today and hoping you have a speedy recovery.
luvpoohandcompany
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2009
My fourwinds is definitely more fun plus it has a pub that serves good food right at the top of the hill which is a great incentive to get there
We’ve celebrated so many occasions in that pub/restaurant from our 1st anniversary of the day we met to, more recently, our granddaughter’s christening day. Happy times
Steppesister
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2013
Another check in…
Most of Bowling Green is still without internet service. The main fiber optic cable was blown away/broken and many more power poles have to be replaced before it’ll be back online. Meantime, our cell service is VEEEEERY slow and likely being gated. So as much as I’d like to catch up tomorrow and this weekend, I can’t. I miss reading your TRs and feel very behind.
I felt compelled to write out my story/experience of this significant life event and will post when I have internet again. Even our large and busy hospital has no public WiFi so can’t post it from there either.
So far my knee feels pretty good. No pain to complain much about but I’m staying ahead of it with all the things I know to do. Thankful for that!!
Keep praying for our town. The outpouring of love and help makes me so proud to live here. Take care, All! As we speak there’s another round of severe weather in the upper plains, and Great Lakes. My heart goes out to them!
Most of Bowling Green is still without internet service. The main fiber optic cable was blown away/broken and many more power poles have to be replaced before it’ll be back online. Meantime, our cell service is VEEEEERY slow and likely being gated. So as much as I’d like to catch up tomorrow and this weekend, I can’t. I miss reading your TRs and feel very behind.
I felt compelled to write out my story/experience of this significant life event and will post when I have internet again. Even our large and busy hospital has no public WiFi so can’t post it from there either.
So far my knee feels pretty good. No pain to complain much about but I’m staying ahead of it with all the things I know to do. Thankful for that!!
Keep praying for our town. The outpouring of love and help makes me so proud to live here. Take care, All! As we speak there’s another round of severe weather in the upper plains, and Great Lakes. My heart goes out to them!
pkondz
Brace yourself for immediate disintegration
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2007
I'm pretty sure your excuse for being behind is a pretty darned good one. Don't worry. We know what you've been going through.
I'm looking forward to reading about it. Hmmm... maybe that's not the right expression. Suffice to say that I'm sorry that you and your neighbors are going through this and hope that the recovery operations will proceed smoothly and quickly. And I am sure that when you post your story about your experiences, it will make for gripping reading where a lot of different emotions will come into play.
Glad to hear that it sounds like the surgery went well.
Steppesister
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2013
****I've spent the last hour and a half trying to figure out how to hot spot my phone so I can finally post these paragraphs. I am not the first to experience this, nor will I be the last, but I thought it important, if even just for myself, to get it written down somewhere. My internet is still non-existent here at home. We are one of the ‘lucky’ 1,000 Spectrum residential and 12 businesses still without. Yay. No idea when we'll be back online. I can once in a while eek out just enough for FB, can make a call, or send texts using cell data. Later at night my cell data is enough to check the DIS. Needless to say, posting or even reading isn't in the cards. I am on call tomorrow and plan to take my laptop to read during any downtime I get. I hope this season finds you in merry and bright circumstances!! We are blessed!****
****************************************************************************************
21 minutes.
Tornado sirens screeching in competition against the wind and driving rain, the Emergency Broadcast System pleaded with us to “Seek shelter NOW! An active tornado has touched down in Warren County and will reach your destination in 21 minutes. Take cover…..”
21 minutes is experienced in such vastly different ways depending on the circumstances. Standing in any given queue at Disney World can last what feels like a lifetime; 21 minutes when trying to find your keys, grab your coat, start the car, and find a safe place flashes by like the lightning of a storm-filled sky. Racing through the empty streets at 12:45AM and running red lights just to make it safely to anywhere is something very few face in this lifetime. During normal business hours many would head for the local mall. These raging, swirling demons struck in the dead of night when few places would have unlocked doors. We screeched into the parking spot of the closest hospital along with a couple of dozen others who were also seeking shelter and packed into the Emergency Department Waiting Room along with terrified pets in our arms.
Most were glued to phones for an update of any kind, and the atmosphere was as somber as the news we feared might face us. The staff was visibly stretched thin with trying to care for the patients already there for various ailments, anticipating the worst with what the unknown situation outside would bring, and accommodating those of us trying to stay safe. A community in crisis tends to pull together; strangers tend to care in ways above and beyond. Blankets and water bottles meant the world in those tense-filled, quiet moments.
Minutes turned into hours and after a time a nurse came out telling us the warning had turned into a watch- the lesser of the two. Although the storms were predicted to last through the night, the immediate danger had passed. Gathering our things, we headed towards the front entrance eager to find the comfort of our own beds despite the angst of what possible calamity may or may not have befallen our community. The covered hospital entrance was filled with cars who’d pulled up after us. One harbored a gentleman who told us the Cardinal Motel’s roof had partially come off and his brother was in it.
“Is he okay?!”
“I don’t know. I think they’re bringing him here by ambulance.”
With that, we turned around and headed back in to wait a little longer not knowing if it was “just” isolated wind damage or something far worse. With the entire city in blackout conditions and the sky ablaze with almost continuous lightning we played it safe. With the rain coming in sideways sheets and noticing the roof of the hospital leaking, we knew it would be a long night ahead.
Finally, around 2:30, along with most of the others who’d found refuge in the hospital, we trickled out not sure what might be found. We found out later our doppler towers were folded in half at the airport, so no new radars or weather updates were available. The skies would be our only clue. I have found very little more disorienting in my lifetime than the short drive home. With the sky still ablaze with frequent lightning, my folks, who’ve lived here for over 10 years, made at least 2 wrong turns in the inky blackness eventually arriving at the equally unlit dark, but still standing, house.
Not knowing the extent of the human tragedy so nearby, with terrifying weather still raging around us, we each went our separate ways to try to find rest as we could. Fits of sleep were interrupted by the blaring of emergency vehicles responding to some unknown situations we could only make vague guesses about. On edge, we waited for the tornado sirens to again sound the alarm, but in the end as the storms passed over and died down, we eventually found some much needed sleep.
The next morning, with no power, internet, or phone, we headed to breakfast. So were what looked like 90% of the rest of the city’s inhabitants. McDonald’s drive-through line was 3 blocks long. We tried several other places, Waffle House, Cracker Barrel, and ended up at IHOP. Bowling Green is a relatively small and still tightknit community, and it was not surprising that an acquaintance of Mom and Dad’s was there. The invitation to join us was eagerly accepted and news of the unfolding human tragedy, the scope of suffering, would soon be discovered and shared around the table. Miraculously, we had some, albeit slow, cell service and could send and receive messages from loved ones, friends, and family saying we were safe. Many would not receive those messages. (Death toll stands at 17 in just Bowling Green as of today.) We would find out over pancakes and bacon that hundreds of homes had been completely destroyed in neighborhoods all over town as the hissing, roaring monster skipped and snaked its way straight through the center of Bowling Green indiscriminately. It didn’t take long to map its sinister path and to realize our own neighborhood was missed by a mere half a mile on either side of us. It took about 21 seconds to change so many lives forever.
21 seconds.
As of today, I have heard dozens of the most horrific stories from those who treated the injured at my workplace. The ER at the hospital I’d just left an hour before the twister hit was filled with unimaginable wounds. From the news, and because much has been made public now, you may know that 2 entire families, parents along with their young children, perished. In all, at the time of this writing, the tornado took 12 precious lives (17 now). Many others were treated for broken bones, glass injuries, crush injuries. Some injuries cannot be seen but will remain with those in its path for the rest of their lives. Perhaps anxiety, fear, trauma… The hospital helipad was double-stacked the entire day evacuating people out to Nashville; there were just too many for our resources.
Since the storm I have driven through several of the worst hit neighborhoods on the way to work. One simply cannot imagine or understand the devastation that is here without seeing it with their own eyes. Video and photos on the news just cannot convey this level of decimation. Nor can one know the level of collective altruism, cooperation, and charity until deep tragedy and grief happens. I have never been prouder of the place I live for how genuine love and concern have been shown. Practical help from so many agencies, churches, individuals, businesses have come in ways that will make a difference in broken lives. It will take many long months of hard work to rebuild homes and for people to get back on their feet. Businesses that are no longer standing have put people out of work as well. The needs are just so great. Perhaps for some things it will take 21 weeks to find some recovery and normalcy. For many other things it may very well take 21 months.
And for still others perhaps 21 years.
****************************************************************************************
21 minutes.
Tornado sirens screeching in competition against the wind and driving rain, the Emergency Broadcast System pleaded with us to “Seek shelter NOW! An active tornado has touched down in Warren County and will reach your destination in 21 minutes. Take cover…..”
21 minutes is experienced in such vastly different ways depending on the circumstances. Standing in any given queue at Disney World can last what feels like a lifetime; 21 minutes when trying to find your keys, grab your coat, start the car, and find a safe place flashes by like the lightning of a storm-filled sky. Racing through the empty streets at 12:45AM and running red lights just to make it safely to anywhere is something very few face in this lifetime. During normal business hours many would head for the local mall. These raging, swirling demons struck in the dead of night when few places would have unlocked doors. We screeched into the parking spot of the closest hospital along with a couple of dozen others who were also seeking shelter and packed into the Emergency Department Waiting Room along with terrified pets in our arms.
Most were glued to phones for an update of any kind, and the atmosphere was as somber as the news we feared might face us. The staff was visibly stretched thin with trying to care for the patients already there for various ailments, anticipating the worst with what the unknown situation outside would bring, and accommodating those of us trying to stay safe. A community in crisis tends to pull together; strangers tend to care in ways above and beyond. Blankets and water bottles meant the world in those tense-filled, quiet moments.
Minutes turned into hours and after a time a nurse came out telling us the warning had turned into a watch- the lesser of the two. Although the storms were predicted to last through the night, the immediate danger had passed. Gathering our things, we headed towards the front entrance eager to find the comfort of our own beds despite the angst of what possible calamity may or may not have befallen our community. The covered hospital entrance was filled with cars who’d pulled up after us. One harbored a gentleman who told us the Cardinal Motel’s roof had partially come off and his brother was in it.
“Is he okay?!”
“I don’t know. I think they’re bringing him here by ambulance.”
With that, we turned around and headed back in to wait a little longer not knowing if it was “just” isolated wind damage or something far worse. With the entire city in blackout conditions and the sky ablaze with almost continuous lightning we played it safe. With the rain coming in sideways sheets and noticing the roof of the hospital leaking, we knew it would be a long night ahead.
Finally, around 2:30, along with most of the others who’d found refuge in the hospital, we trickled out not sure what might be found. We found out later our doppler towers were folded in half at the airport, so no new radars or weather updates were available. The skies would be our only clue. I have found very little more disorienting in my lifetime than the short drive home. With the sky still ablaze with frequent lightning, my folks, who’ve lived here for over 10 years, made at least 2 wrong turns in the inky blackness eventually arriving at the equally unlit dark, but still standing, house.
Not knowing the extent of the human tragedy so nearby, with terrifying weather still raging around us, we each went our separate ways to try to find rest as we could. Fits of sleep were interrupted by the blaring of emergency vehicles responding to some unknown situations we could only make vague guesses about. On edge, we waited for the tornado sirens to again sound the alarm, but in the end as the storms passed over and died down, we eventually found some much needed sleep.
The next morning, with no power, internet, or phone, we headed to breakfast. So were what looked like 90% of the rest of the city’s inhabitants. McDonald’s drive-through line was 3 blocks long. We tried several other places, Waffle House, Cracker Barrel, and ended up at IHOP. Bowling Green is a relatively small and still tightknit community, and it was not surprising that an acquaintance of Mom and Dad’s was there. The invitation to join us was eagerly accepted and news of the unfolding human tragedy, the scope of suffering, would soon be discovered and shared around the table. Miraculously, we had some, albeit slow, cell service and could send and receive messages from loved ones, friends, and family saying we were safe. Many would not receive those messages. (Death toll stands at 17 in just Bowling Green as of today.) We would find out over pancakes and bacon that hundreds of homes had been completely destroyed in neighborhoods all over town as the hissing, roaring monster skipped and snaked its way straight through the center of Bowling Green indiscriminately. It didn’t take long to map its sinister path and to realize our own neighborhood was missed by a mere half a mile on either side of us. It took about 21 seconds to change so many lives forever.
21 seconds.
As of today, I have heard dozens of the most horrific stories from those who treated the injured at my workplace. The ER at the hospital I’d just left an hour before the twister hit was filled with unimaginable wounds. From the news, and because much has been made public now, you may know that 2 entire families, parents along with their young children, perished. In all, at the time of this writing, the tornado took 12 precious lives (17 now). Many others were treated for broken bones, glass injuries, crush injuries. Some injuries cannot be seen but will remain with those in its path for the rest of their lives. Perhaps anxiety, fear, trauma… The hospital helipad was double-stacked the entire day evacuating people out to Nashville; there were just too many for our resources.
Since the storm I have driven through several of the worst hit neighborhoods on the way to work. One simply cannot imagine or understand the devastation that is here without seeing it with their own eyes. Video and photos on the news just cannot convey this level of decimation. Nor can one know the level of collective altruism, cooperation, and charity until deep tragedy and grief happens. I have never been prouder of the place I live for how genuine love and concern have been shown. Practical help from so many agencies, churches, individuals, businesses have come in ways that will make a difference in broken lives. It will take many long months of hard work to rebuild homes and for people to get back on their feet. Businesses that are no longer standing have put people out of work as well. The needs are just so great. Perhaps for some things it will take 21 weeks to find some recovery and normalcy. For many other things it may very well take 21 months.
And for still others perhaps 21 years.
Last edited:
Steppesister
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2013
We have internet. I repeat, WE HAVE INTERNET!!!!
pkondz
Brace yourself for immediate disintegration
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2007
Phew.
That was quite the read. I can't imaging how you and your parents must have been feeling. From racing to safety ahead of the oncoming tornado, to not knowing when you'd be safe and then not knowing if you'd even have a house to return to...
That was quite the read. I can't imaging how you and your parents must have been feeling. From racing to safety ahead of the oncoming tornado, to not knowing when you'd be safe and then not knowing if you'd even have a house to return to...
disneyAndi14
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2014
How awful, scary, and downright devastating!
I’m thankful you all our okay but how sad for the lives lost and the community disrepair yikes!
I’m thankful you all our okay but how sad for the lives lost and the community disrepair yikes!
Wood Nymph
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2012
Thanks for posting your story. It must have been very hard to even know what was happening during the storm.
How long were you without power?
I can't even imagine what this must be like to live though.
How long were you without power?
I can't even imagine what this must be like to live though.
Share this page
-
New Wolverine & Throwback X-Men Merch Early Disney+ Access
-
Why So Much Negativity Toward Disney IP When People Clearly Love It?
-
Two Restaurants Added to Fantasmic! Dining Package at Disneyland
-
Wine Bar George Makes Top 100 Best Brunches on OpenTable
-
Disney's Coronado Springs Resort - Standard Room Tour in 3D / VR
GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE
Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.
Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!
Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.
Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!
