With images of the devastated Joplin, MO fresh on our minds, I think most of the Dallas / Fort Worth metroplex took the tornado warnings very seriously as some huge rotating storms blew through this evening. Lots of friends took shelter in closets with their families when the sirens went off. I stayed in front of the tv monitoring doppler radar as the heavy stuff passed just south of me.

I was ready though. Space in hall closet cleared. Flashlight in belt sheath, bike helmet at the ready, cell phone and wallet in zippered pants pocket, valuables locked in gun safe.

Was at work in the Mesquite area. Lots of rain, heavy winds and quarter-sized hail. My friends in Irving had golf ball sized hail.

I flew that Dallas storm on the way to New Mexico... it was pretty rough.

All safe in the eastern sector. We had big winds that caused the wife and dogs to panic. I'm waiting to see how many squirrels show up for breakfast.

We took refuge in the bathroom.

Some items that normally come along with us during these events...

-Water
-Wallet, keys, purse
-flashlight
-Cell phone
-1 SKS
-1 1911
-ammo

Xela

I just cannot comprehend the idea of 'sirens going off'. The west rarely sees a tornado, so we just don't bother.

Along the Oregon coast they have Tsunami sirens, but I have never heard them.

In Japan, they have earthquake alerts that show up on television, or so my wife tells me.

I remember the Air Raid sirens of the 50's being tested every month and I recall being scared shitless each time, but I was like 4 or 5 at the time. Duck and Cover was the order of the day...just the thing for a kid in Kindergarten.

The thought of doing regular battle with a force that is unstoppable is just beyond me. Around here we prep for the "Big One"...the earthquake that will level us. We store water and food and batteries and meds, knowing full well that if it should happen, we're toast. So beyond that I don't dwell upon it, I would go nuts.

How do you guys do it?

rolandson wrote:...How do you guys do it?

I was in the middle of a few drinks when we started noticing the alerts.

I normally don't do this, however.

Xela

Xela wrote:We took refuge in the bathroom.

Some items that normally come along with us during these events...

-Water
-Wallet, keys, purse
-flashlight
-Cell phone
-1 SKS
-1 1911
-ammo

We go in my "army" closet, basically the washer and dryer closet that I've converted into my closet for work which also has all of my "just in case" gear including weapons and ammo. The last one that took out the neighborhood my wife was more concerned with watching the tornado than her actual safety.

rolandson wrote:How do you guys do it?

We gave the dogs benadryl, my son did the boy scout thing and put stuff in the center room, my wife drank, and I watched Tosh.O I love that show.

Xela wrote:
I was in the middle of a few drinks when we started noticing the alerts.

I normally don't do this, however.

Xela

Simmer down wrote: We gave the dogs benadryl, my son did the boy scout thing and put stuff in the center room, my wife drank, and I watched Tosh.O I love that show.

Sounds as though a common theme has developed...Carry on...!

Video of a funnel cloud in Denton

EDIT: Damn, hotlinking is disabled so you guys have to do it the hard way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCOBNdGF ... r_embedded

rolandson wrote:

Xela wrote:
I was in the middle of a few drinks when we started noticing the alerts.

I normally don't do this, however.

Xela

Simmer down wrote: We gave the dogs benadryl, my son did the boy scout thing and put stuff in the center room, my wife drank, and I watched Tosh.O I love that show.

Sounds as though a common theme has developed...Carry on...!

I lost count on how many martinis my wife had yesterday evening.

Xela

Happy to live in a place with boring weather. Hope everybody stays safe!

Zapp Brannigan wrote:Video of a funnel cloud in Denton

EDIT: Damn, hotlinking is disabled so you guys have to do it the hard way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCOBNdGF ... r_embedded

You have to chop off whatever comes after the video ident, you have to chop off the ampersand and whatever comes after that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCOBNdGFr_w