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28 Mar 00 - 09:50 PM (#203007) Subject: Tornadoes in Texas From: Áine From two to three tornadoes hit downtown Ft. Worth, Texas and at least one hit Arlington (where I live) about 3 hours ago. Thankfully, the one in my town was about 2 miles south of my house; but, we apparently have about 60 houses that were badly damaged. Emergency radios are out of commission, making communications difficult, to say the least. The downtown area in Ft. Worth was hit during the rush hour, when people were headed home after the work day. There are reports of people trapped in a collapsed building and one fatality, with at least 100 people being treated for injuries at area hospitals. Downtown Ft. Worth is being described as 'Beirut revisited', with glass windows blown out of cars and buildings, overturned busses and semi-trailers. Please keep us in your thoughts and hope that things will not be any worse when the daylight comes. All the best, Áine |
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28 Mar 00 - 09:55 PM (#203011) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: katlaughing Oh, Aine, I am sorry to hear about that. Glad to see you still must have electricity and internet connection, though. Thanks for letting us know. I will be thinking about you, darlin'. Stay safe and keep us posted, please. luvyakat |
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28 Mar 00 - 10:05 PM (#203013) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Rick Fielding We get 'em here occasionally Aine. Be safe. Rick and Heather |
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28 Mar 00 - 10:11 PM (#203018) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: catspaw49 I was just watching the Weather Channel a minute ago before coming on here and I thought if you and Jed and your families. Aine, I'm glad to hear you are all OK and I hope we hear from Jed soon. I've been around several tornados and they are simply unbelievable. We had one pass by on the ridge above us while camping two years ago, about a quarter of a mile away. Thankfully, we were in a deep ravine and no serious damage was done to our area of campers, although the folks on the other side of the ravine had some injuries and damage. Sit tight and stay in touch. Spaw |
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28 Mar 00 - 10:17 PM (#203021) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Áine Thanks kat, Rick and Heather. Downtown Ft. Worth has been cordoned off by the police department and all police and fire department personnel have been called in to duty. A building-by-building search is being conducted now. I just saw pictures of a 4-story church tower that had every bit of brick, wood and steel stripped off of it. You can see right through the thing. Miracles do happen -- there were about 20 people in the tower when the tornado hit and only one person has been sent to the hospital with minor injuries. Highways 20 and 360 (the ones surrounding my house) have been completely shut down. One overturned semi on Hwy. 360 has been reported, as well as six on Hwy. 20, along with several overturned cars. Another fatality has also been reported. The 'good' news is that an 8-1/2 month pregnant woman began giving birth as the twister hit Hwy. 360. She pulled over to the inside median and called for assistance on her cell phone. Emergency personnel reached her and she has given birth at a local hospital to a healthy baby (sex not reported just yet). Another miracle! I had the kids covered up in the interior hall with blankets and pillows when I heard the tornado coming. Like an idiot, I ran outside to look for my dear hubby, who had not come home from work yet. He drove into the driveway, got out of the car, and that's when we heard it. Now, I've seen 5 tornadoes in my lifetime here in Texas, up close and personal. But, I've never heard one before. It does not sound like a freight train, folks. The sky actually GROWLED -- that's right, just like a mad lion . . . funny thing is, all I could think of at the time is 'there's gotta be a song in this' . . . -- Áine |
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28 Mar 00 - 10:25 PM (#203025) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: catspaw49 Well if you're writing a tornado song Aine.....You might include the 40 or so campers plus about a dozen dogs and a few cats all huddled up in the concrete block 6 stall showerhouse....and you're right about the sound, but have you ever listened to a steam engine hauling hard at speed? I think that's the sound they were referring to. I guess diesels took some of the "romance" out of tornadoes too......... Spaw |
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28 Mar 00 - 10:31 PM (#203026) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Áine That's a great suggestion, Spaw! And you know, you're right about the steam engine -- My papaw was an engineer and drove several of those babies -- hadn't thought about that sound for awhile -- Thanks! Never could figure out why folks would ever complain about living near a railroad -- I lived with my grandparents for awhile when I was small and I love falling asleep to the sound of a train going by! Thanks for reminding, friend. -- Áine |
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28 Mar 00 - 11:14 PM (#203039) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Metchosin Áine, glad to hear you and your family are safe and sound. Pretty scary stuff!!! So sorry to hear of the loss of life. Take care. Susan |
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28 Mar 00 - 11:15 PM (#203040) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Little Neophyte Thank goodness you and your family are safe Aine. I have never experienced being in a tornado but I really got the drift with your description of a mad lion growling. Thinking of you and hoping Jed is safe too. Little Neo |
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28 Mar 00 - 11:27 PM (#203048) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: GutBucketeer Áine: I was in Texas (Houston) last night eating seafood at the shore in Kemah (Inlaws 50th). It's amazing how the weather in the Lone Star State can change. Ghost Riders in the Sky are all too real when Tornadoes and Thunderstorms hit. Be safe, and thank god everyone in your family is OK. JAB
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28 Mar 00 - 11:28 PM (#203050) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Áine Thanks to all for the good thoughts. Two more deaths have been reported now. Both of these folks drove around the police department high water barriers and drowned in the Trinity River. The fire department had 6 water rescue operations going on at the same time. The Governor of Texas (that's right folks, the same fella that wants you to elect him President) has not responded to calls to his office. One of our Congresswomen has responded and contacted the White House, who is sending a team tomorrow to 'assess' the situation. Even if she is a Republican, bless her for at least answering the galdarn phone! I'd just like to say thanks to all the police, fire and emergency personnel who have responded in such a professional manner to this situation -- without them, Lord knows where the folks in Tarrant County would be! -- Áine |
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28 Mar 00 - 11:33 PM (#203053) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Sorcha Good luck and best wishes for all. Grew up in Kansas, and have seen my share of the booogers, scary things indeed. |
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29 Mar 00 - 12:21 AM (#203070) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: JedMarum Well - I sat this one out quietly in Phoenix. I called home and all is well there. My car is sitting on the roof of the parking garage at DFW, so may have some ice damage, but it sounds like it'll be OK. Who cares anyway; it's a car! We were hit in Houston twice with tornados ... lots and lots of damage. We were miraculously spared, but our neighbors just a few hundred feet away lost so much. It's hard to be believe the selective, and destructive force - |
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29 Mar 00 - 12:24 AM (#203072) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: catspaw49 Good to hear from you Jed. Hope Phoenix went well and its good to know all is well at home. Spaw |
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29 Mar 00 - 12:48 AM (#203077) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Escamillo Áine, Jed, I'm glad to see you and families are OK. I'd never had such experience, and can hardly imagine. Un abrazo - Andrés |
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29 Mar 00 - 03:09 AM (#203106) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Seamus Kennedy Jed, Áine, glad you're both OK (and your families), and I'm glad it didn't occur while Jed and I were at the NTIF! I'll never complain about Irish rain again. Allt best. Seamus |
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29 Mar 00 - 03:22 AM (#203108) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler The rare storm in UK in 1987 filled my garden with fallen trees but only took the odd tile off the roof. It certainly made me glad we don't get your extremes of weather. Best wishes to those of you affected. RtS |
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29 Mar 00 - 03:39 AM (#203114) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Stewie Aine, I'm glad that you and your family are okay. I know what you mean about hearing the storm. I was in one of the worst cyclones to hit Australia (you call them hurricanes). The thing that I remember most is the sound. The wind reached an incredibly pitch, like a scream - you would think that it was impossible for it to go higher, and yet it did, again and again. It was utterly terrifying. Even 25 or so years later, when the winds reach an innocuous 70 or 80 km/h, I feel the shivers. Regards, Stewie. |
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29 Mar 00 - 08:11 AM (#203146) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: alison I heard about it on the news, and thought about you, glad you are OK.... stay safe
slainte alison |
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29 Mar 00 - 08:46 AM (#203162) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Áine Good morning, everyone! Now that the sun is up, we've been able to see more of the damage done last night. Not a pretty sight, I tell you. The houses that were hit in Arlington were brick homes, and most still have have their walls standing. I shudder to think what my neighborhood would have suffered if it had hit us, because all of our homes are made of wood. Puts me in mind of the three little pigs. From what I can see on the TV, it looks like an F2 tornado hit us. On the twister scale, that's just a little swat on the bottom. I can still remember the small town of Jerrell, Texas that was hit by an F5 a few years ago and nearly wiped off the face of the earth -- nothing left standing at tall. These things are just a fact of life here in Tornado Alley, as they call it, but it still scares the bejeeziz out of you when one of these things gets close. Thanks to all of you for your kind thoughts. And I'm glad that Jed checked in and everything is fine with him and his family. I wasn't too worried about him last night, since the storm pretty much had dissipated after hitting us here. Do me a favor and give your loved ones a kiss, a hug, or at least a phone call today and tell them you love them, OK? All the best, Áine |
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29 Mar 00 - 09:01 AM (#203168) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Hollowfox Glad you're all OK. V E R Y glad you knew what to do. |
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29 Mar 00 - 09:53 AM (#203199) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: bob schwarer Glad you made it thru. I have a daughter & grandkids in Plano so I watch Dallas weather. Several years ago my wife & I were heading home about 5:30(PM) when we heard a tornado had touched down. The point they used as a reference was a school about a mile from our house. When we got about 1 1/2 miles from home we began seeing pieces of roof and insulation all over. Fortunately the storm had a narrow path and everything was OK at home. parrots must have sensed the storm because they were still still when we arrived. Usually they are quite loud in their greetings. |
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29 Mar 00 - 10:13 AM (#203205) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Amos Jeez, AIne, can't I talk y'all into moving over here? There's a great thirst here for engineers of al kinds! And the worst you have to wrry 'bout is earthquakes, or the whole state falling into the ocean! Thanks for being okay -- I had a bad moment there when I read your first entry! Congratulations to all of you. A |
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29 Mar 00 - 10:18 AM (#203207) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: catspaw49 Bob, that's one of the most terrifying things about tornadoes. They cause collateral damage of course, but the actual path is so random and hard to predict. When I was a kid, one passed through the small town we lived in and the homes on one side of an alley were devastated while across the alley, there was very limited damage. I too live in one of those tornado alleys. Through the watches and warnings I always wonder where it will hit. Sadly all too few of the folks around really take the proper precautions. As opposed to a hurricane which as pretty broad spread damage, a tornado is such a "hit or miss" affair that I think people tend to be a bit more lax in their treatment of the potential danger. Spaw |
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29 Mar 00 - 10:46 AM (#203229) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Mbo My God my God, I saw the footage on the news this morning. I hope you and you're family are Ok...this is extremely scary. I've had 5 major hurricanes hit me in the last 4 years, all of the with the maximum brunt on our town....but I've NEVER seen anything those tornadoes before....I'm deathly afraid of them...I hope that things get better as the day progress...but it's a hard thing to live through... --Mbo |
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29 Mar 00 - 10:47 AM (#203230) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Art Thieme My best wishes go out to you all.Here is a song collected by the W.P.A. Writer's Project (Works Progress Administration). Tune : "Shady Grove" -- It's on one o' my old LPs.
I used to own the Double D, but I'm punchin steers today,
It struck the first of April and as it's goin' hence,
It took the wife, it took the kids, the cows and horses too,
And that is why I'm punchin' on the Kansas plains today, Art Thieme |
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29 Mar 00 - 11:05 AM (#203247) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: MMario Had a near miss here a couple years back; the twister was forming as it passed over our property, had touchdowns at several spots east of us. it only lasted 20 minutes total, but damage took weeks to repair. I have never in my whole life been so frightened. Glad all our 'Catter's in texas are safe and sound, and my thoughts go out to those who have lost property and loved ones. |
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29 Mar 00 - 11:20 AM (#203258) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Áine Thanks for the song, Art! Kinda puts me in mind of the movie 'Twister' that came out a few years ago (and of which we have a copy on video) -- The scene where the folks are caught on the bridge watching a double vortex twister crossing in front of them (totally ridiculous, of course, because the windows in their car don't blow out and you can hear their conversation clearly) -- A cow twirls in front of their eyes and someone says 'Cow' -- then another cow twirls in front of them and someone else says 'Another cow' -- and the third person says, 'Nope. Same cow.' Makes myself and dear hubby howl with laughter every time! -- Áine |
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29 Mar 00 - 11:20 AM (#203260) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Wesley S Good morning. If I ever write a song about fear I'll just remember last night. My wife Bretta works up in Grapvine, north of Ft Worth. When I saw the weather on the news I called her and told her to leave work and come home. The radar made it look like the storm was coming right at her with softball size hail. There were two cells - north and south - and it looked like if she drove south and then west she would slip between them. So shes out there on the road {I-30} when the two cells converge right on top of her as the tornado comes out of downtown. I was on the phone with her and she had stopped by the side of the road because she couldn't see to drive. I knew from her location that she was about a mile from one of the local TV stations - Channel 5. Just then the weatherman came on and said that he had just walked outside and saw circular winds overhead which meant that a tornado could drop out of the sky at any second. Just then her phone went out. I thought I had lost her. My phone was dead and she wasn't able call back so I feared the worst. The only reason why she was on that road was because I had convinced her it was the safest was to go. She would have been safer at work. It was the scariest 20 minutes of my life. My wife means the world to me and I love her dearly. When she was able to call ,the sound of her at the other end of the phone was the sweetest thing I had ever heard. She was fine. Our only problem was an overabundence of adrenalin. All we had was a bad scare but some of the folks nearby have lost everything. I'm counting my blessings today and holding my wife a little bit closer and a little bit tighter.
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29 Mar 00 - 11:31 AM (#203268) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Áine Dear Wesley, I'm so glad to hear that you and your wife are all right! Don't kick yourself too much about trying to get her home safe -- You know yourself how these things can seem to be heading one way and then turn around and go another. The important thing is that she's safe with you this morning! Hold her close every day from now on -- sometimes it seems like Mother Nature gives us a nudge toward counting our blessings, and we definitely should listen more often. -- Áine |
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29 Mar 00 - 11:35 AM (#203269) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Amos Dear God, Wesley, what a night...and what relief! Thanks for being safe. Listen to Mama Áine, now. She knows. A |
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29 Mar 00 - 12:09 PM (#203292) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Wesley S Aine and Amos - Thanks. I had almost forgotten about the fact that Channel 5 announced that the church I go to was "leveled". One of my best friends and singing partners works there. It was fine but the church two blocks away was heavily damaged. The tornado somehow managed to bounce over it going from the damaged parts of downtown - the Tandy center and Bank One to get to the other church. When I look at all the damage I have to tell myself that this was a small tornado. Grade 1 or 2 at most. The real tragedy of course is the loss of life. All the buildings can be replaced. The song about the Galveston flood keeps running through my mind. "Wasn't that a mighty storm - it blew all the people away" After this week I'm looking forward to the Tom Paxton concert this weekend. |
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29 Mar 00 - 12:20 PM (#203302) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Áine The real tragedy of course is the loss of life. All the buildings can be replaced. Well said, Wesley. Here's one story about a person's tragedy last night from The Fort Worth Star Telegram: Ordinary lives were interrupted last night as the weather turned deadly . . . Along Seventh Street, downed power lines were draped from power poles. Hulking trees lay across side streets . . . Several yards east, John Barr, 70, sat on a sidewalk, staring helplessly at his dead friend, Carl Spence, 67. Homeless, they had huddled next to the empty Burns Graphics building at 2100 W. Seventh St. to find shelter when a wall came crashing down. "We were just rocking ourselves," said Barr. "I felt part of it hit me in the back. I couldn't move. I hollered for help, and some people came and dug me out. "I told them that someone was next to me, and they tried to dig him out. I figured he was dead because I was hollering for him and he didn't answer." Barr sat near his friend for several hours, waiting for the medical examiner's staff to carry his body away. He said he did not know where he would go after things settled down, but he was not worried. "I've got experience living on the street," Barr said, "but I don't have experience with a tornado." |
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29 Mar 00 - 12:24 PM (#203307) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Scotsbard After looking at some of the video and photos of the buiding on the news this morning, it's frankly amazing that there were so few casualties. We had pleasant if slightly muggy weather yesterday afternoon and no suggestion of the windstorms only a couple of hundred miles further north. I'm glad to hear that the local Mudcatters are OK, as are most of the other folk I know in the DFW area. Those in Grapevine are still a little rattled, though. A little less than a decade ago, several Houston skyscrapers shed many windows but apparently kept a tornado vortex from getting well organized. Winds in excess of 90mph were recorded at ground level. The same storm front pushed offshore and caught us racing sailboats. Our wind "ferocity" indicator pegged at about 96kts, and at one point the next landfall was in somewhere in Cuba. However, it's truly an awesome sound when the funnel gets within a few miles. Just out of curiosity, did the FW tornado path seem to follow any topological features? Usually they seem to strike along relatively flat terrain.
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29 Mar 00 - 12:42 PM (#203318) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Áine Dear Scotsbard, I'll give you what the paper says about yesterday's twisters: "[quoting Skip Ely, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth]" . . . yesterday's twister was what forecasters call a 'cyclic storm'." "It means that a tornado develops and dissipates, and another tornado develops and dissipates nearby, and sometimes the process will go on four or five times." A tornado is a balance beween downdrafts and updrafts, he said. Sometimes, a downdraft will wrap around the updraft and choke off the supply of warm, moist air, which causes the tornado to weaken and dissipate. "But the parent air circulation aloft in the middle to upper levels of the storm remains, and a new tornado sometimes develops in the new updraft of the storm complex," he said. The new tornado frequently moves east or southeast of the first tornado." The paper also says that radar images show the tornado that struck downtown Ft. Worth developed suddenly northwest of the city center and curved eastward. It zigzagged through downtown, and began to head east after hitting the Clear Fork of the Trinity River. The twister appeared to break up in the vicinity of N. Riverside Drive along Interstate 30, but it was quickly replaced by a separate but related tornado that swept through southwest Arlington and Grand Prairie, continuing on a southeast track until it dissipated over DeSoto.
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29 Mar 00 - 01:04 PM (#203331) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Wesley S My God - If it broke up at I-30 and Riverside it was only a mile or two from where Bretta was parked by the side of the road on I-30 near Channel 11 and Brentwood Stair Road. A cold chill went through me when I read your last post Aine. I'm glad your family is safe too. We are very lucky people today. |
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29 Mar 00 - 02:53 PM (#203398) Subject: RE: Tornadoes in Texas From: Wesley S Jed - If you get this - I just talked to my wife. She was at DFW airport dropping someone off and there was no damage at all there. So your car should be OK. Looking forward to hearing you sing sometime. We went to the Bull and Bush on St Patricks Day hoping to see you with Emmons Kitchen - I now see that you had a gig somewhere else. We'll catch you someday. |