Let me just start by saying that there are a great number of people who really enjoy storms . . . I, however, am NOT one of them! Now, I don't mind a rainy day, but I only "don't mind" them if I'm still lying in bed. . . with a great book . . . or movie on TV . . . a cup of coffee or tea beside me . . . in a house with a tin roof . . . the rain falling just hard enough to make soft sounds . . .
. . . otherwise, I'll take 70 degrees and sunshine . . .
. . . preferably somewhere out west!
With that said, I have been through some serious storms in my life!
The first in my memory was Hurricane Inez which raked right across the Florida Keys in 1966 just after we moved to Key West. Killing 3 people and doing $5 million in damage, it left several feet of water behind . . . I thought the island had sunk! 45 more people died in the Florida Straits because of Inez! There were several tropical depressions and hurricanes that hit Florida and did some serious damage to other parts, but we didn't see another one in the Keys . . . the likes of Inez.
The next "storm" I remember happened the summer we moved back to the States. You remember we lived in a trailer in South Georgia, right? Georgia is known for a number of things: peaches, onions, tobacco, great beaches, peanuts, islands off the coast, the Okefenokee Swamp . . . other cool stuff too! It's also home to some of the tallest pine trees and the worst tornadoes . . . not Oklahoma and Texas bad . . . but still!
It was a pretty scary night, but Dad had a plan! We went over it several times before the really bad weather moved in. Now, keep in mind that back in 1976 they didn't have the advanced tracking we have today, so there would be no warning should a tornado find its way into our area . . . we just had to be prepared.
About the only "warning" we might get would be the TV's picture would change to what they called "snow!"
But even that was not a reliable barometer!!
Dad's plan consisted of the following:
- One really long rope
- One really big pine tree
He would tie loops into the rope with slip knots so they could be tightened around our bodies . . . enough loops for him, Mom, me, Sabrina, and both of my grandparents. Dad would tie the rope to the largest pine tree he could find. He'd be tied into the fist loop . . . the "anchor" . . . since he was the strongest . . . followed by Papa, Mom, Grandmother Cochran, me and Sabrina. Since your Auntie M was the smallest, she might flap in the wind a little, but she'd be okay in his opinion.
Pretty sure he was dead serious about this!
Thank God we never had to implement his plan!!
Looking back, I can see the flaws:
- If the rope even held, the force winds of the tornado would have likely ripped us in half
- In all likelihood, the rope would simply give
- No way could Dad tie any know that would seriously hold
- Pine Tree roots are shallow, so the tornado would have ripped the tree out of the ground
- Flying debris might have killed us . . . forget about just cars, rocks, and houses, tornadoes have been known to drive pine needles through fence posts
- Comically speaking, I could see me and my sister flapping at the tail end of that rope . . . screaming at the top of our lungs . . . me trying to reassure her we wouldn't die . . .
. . . kind of a funny picture if you think about it!
But in 1976 I believed in my dad, and I'm pretty sure it was the only plan he could offer to make us feel safe . . . we lived in a trailer park after all . . . no basements . . . no storm cellars . . . nothing close to protect us in the event of a touchdown!
I'd never been so scared in my life . . .
. . . but there would be more storms in the future . . .
. . . storms that would make my life pass before my eyes . . .
. . . storms that would find my deepest fear: the potential loss of my girls!
"Better to have and not need than to need and not have." ~ Franz Kafka
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