Had a good scare tonight

[CherishHolland]

I had a good scare tonight horrible storm rolled through, set the tornado sirens to going and I was panicking, I ran through the house screaming at kids to get up get up get up! I ran outside threw open the dog run,and I ran to the coop was just about to open the door,when a calming sensation washed over me and told me to leave it closed. I then ran into the house where I have babies in the brooder and toddlers in the transitional brooder tossed them into a dog crate threw a feeder in there and shut them in DH is carrying our 8yr old DD and my 12 yr old son was carrying his 5 yr old brother I am in my nightgown and boots carrying the chicks. Out the door we go, DH is driving I looking out the window of the truck and all you see NW of us is this huge wall cloud with a funnel cloud forming. I am in ultimate freak out mode, I'm talking shaking like a leaf, sick to my stomach freaked out. We are going to my dad's house which is a fifteen minute drive,DH is freaking because the truck is on almost E. I am saying silent prayers to please let this storm lose velocity and to die down and not affect Amarillo or Canyon. Well we got to my dad's my nephew has turned into a walking Doppler Radar,he is updating us by the second. My 8 yr old DD is so scared she starts throwing up,my dad is on edge worried;he kept walking outside pacing and coming back to check the news and watch the radar. We had 2 tornadoes touch down but thankfully it was brief and only caused little damage,broken windows,hail damage blown down trees. My phone had been ringing off the hook, I literally had a good-bye conversation with my best friend,telling one another how much grateful we are to have had the 20 years of friendship and how much we are thankful for having each other. The whole it might be the end conversation. I cried,he cried. Sad but touching moment. Thank God when we returned back home that area was completely untouched,not even a drop of rain. My chickens were all safe and sound asleep in their coop,griped me out for waking them but I had to make sure they were all okay. DH and I are discussing how to have a neighborhood meeting where we can possibly discuss the idea of building a community storm shelter. Where I live people come out to live the small farm life,I have a neighbor who is 80 years old and we do not have a safe place to go,not even a public shelter. The Sheriff's department tells you to go to a near-by church or a convenient store. Sorry I had to get this off my chest because my heart rate is just now returning to some what normal. Prayers to all that are in this storm's path it is capable of producing tornadoes as it managed to drop 2 in 2 different locations.

Sorry for any grammatical errors I am still slightly shaken up.

 

[Chickenfan4life]

My goodness! You wrote that in such a way that my heart was pounding just reading it and my hands were shaking as I began to write this post!

 

[GoldenSparrows]

oh my gosh! Thank goodness everyone was alright!

 

[CherishHolland]

My goodness! You wrote that in such a way that my heart was pounding just reading it and my hands were shaking as I began to write this post!

Imagine how bad I was shaking,my husband was trying to hold my hand to calm me down but it wasn't working. I didn't fully calm down until the storm passed. We stepped outside because in the distance you could hear this roar my husband came running in and pushing kids into the interior bathroom. I was still standing in the living room when all you hear is pound pound pound, we were getting a wall of hail golf ball size to grapefruit size hail. It was the hail we heard coming. I called my friend who lives a couple blocks from our house, she said" hun the storm completely passed our area we didn't even get rain other than a few sprinkles." We came home my teenagers in the coop griped me out for turning on their light and checking on them. I am glad I had that calming sensation to leave the coop closed. I am a God Fearing woman,and it was like a calming sensation just washed over me, I am not sure how to describe it. I am glad that the 2 tornadoes that did touch down were only down long enough to uproot some trees and blow out some windows. One of our news stations were broadcasting from the bathroom because the studio is located in what is called Center City which is downtown Amarillo and that is where one touched down. It was a crazy night it could have been way worse but thankfully our news teams gave plenty of advanced warning for people to get to safety. I am also glad my dad didn't freak out because I had a pet carrier of chicks. He just asked are those chickens? I told him yea I couldn't leave them in the house alone. I think he fell in love with my Brahma Chloe and my OEGB Buttercup.

 

[theoldchick]

Dang! I got goose bumps reading this.

I recently participated in a seminar about disaster procedures involving livestock and household pets. I was asked which one would I take? My answer was I'd take a few chickens with me. I was chastised for that answer inwhich I replied that a chicken is just as easy to attend to in a carrier as any small dog or cat. The only difference was is my chickens would lay eggs and provide food for me. And the chicken would not require several walks a day like a dog would. Made the folks rethink about saving the backyard chicken.

Glad you surived!