Raleigh Tornado 6-16-2011
short version:
I was driving down route 1 to my next lawn estimate yesterday, listening to the tornado coverage on wptf. he said the tornado had left sanford and was over brickhaven. (i live a mile from brickhaven.) called the fam, and they were huddled up with the neighbors in my basement. except for my 18 yr old son, who was upstairs watching the tornado go by.
the weather guy says that the tornado is heading right up route 1 towards raleigh from sanford, doing 60 mph. i am heading from raleigh towards sanford doing about the same. the gps says to get off at 1010. i can see the dark sky heading toward me and it's getting pretty ugly out. so i say, forget that, and bail off at cary parkway.
took cary parkway to holly springs road. my estimate is right off holly springs road, near kildaire and holly springs rd. traffic is pretty slow, and i need to bail. the weather guy says, the tornado is heading up holly springs road at 60 mph, if you are in the vicinity, seek shelter immediately. great.
now i see the funnel cloud coming up the road, all filled with lightning. i text a friend "i see it" she says, see what. "funnel"
trees are coming down and people are bailing off the road. i finally make my turn into sancroft subdivision. pull into driveway, get out of truck. all hell is breaking loose. gotta hold my hat on my head (it's my favorite hat.)
knock on front door. the Leslies are all huddled in the closet under the stairs. face appears in sidelight. it's Andy, Steve's 17 yr old son. incredulous look on his face.
tornado sounds like freight train, and moaning. trees whipping around (Steve and Michelle's house is surrounded by huge pines and oaks etc.)
Andy shouts "it's Mr. Jon!"
Steve yells "What?!! Jonny! what are you doing here!?"
"you said you wanted an estimate"
"you're crazy!"
I'm thinking, maybe, but let me in. couldn't help but laugh. the Leslie's are amazing people.
Steve yells "go around! go around!"
nobody ever comes in the front door at the Leslie's.
So I go around to the garage doors. Just then the power flickers and goes out. Doors won't open.
20 foot top section of huge oak tree breaks off and lands not 10 feet from me. Crrack! Crash! Loud.
Steve - "go around! go around!"
now i'm laughing out loud. this is great.
walk around towards front door again. hit in head by branch. luckily had my hand on my head (don't lose that hat!).
Feel light on my feet. pressure drop? 80 foot tall trees whipping around, back and forth. stuff flying everywhere.
find out later that just at that moment, the pressure inside Steve's house pulled the garage door out of his hand and slammed it shut.
front door opens. i think "mark your calendars, i just got in thru the Leslie's front door!"
somewhat of a commotion inside. what am i doing here? i reiterate, you wanted an estimate.
bunch of cars in street. people running around knocking on doors "let us in! let us in!" can't hear them of course, but you just know that's what they are yelling.
Andy manually opens garage doors, and we let them in. one gal has a notepad, shows us the radar. yikes! right on top of us.
what fun! wow.
Michelle calls her brother Tim in the trailer park up the street. No answer. Tim is a paraplegic. She's worried. Let's go!
Michelle and I trek (great word Michelle) up to Tim's trailer. POURING rain. Over and under several huge pine trees laying across Holly Springs Road, full of power lines etc. That's a story in itself. Another time maybe.
Light at Kildaire and Holly Springs road, 10 minutes after tornado passed:
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...n/tornado4.jpg
Get to Tim, Tim is ok. Lots of mobile homes and vehicles smashed and torn up. debris everywhere.
Trailer park:
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...n/tornado2.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...n/tornado1.jpg
try to get back to Michelle's house, but by now road is full of first responders and ambulances fire trucks and i don't know what all, who don't want us crossing lines and trees and such. pffft. we made it thru well before they did... here comes Steve and Andy. how'd you make it thru the picket line?
Steve - "ya just gotta know how to talk to these guys." ooookaaaay.
make it back to the Leslie's, and tour the neighborhood. many homes damaged.
a neighbor's house:
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...n/tornado3.jpg
everybody ok, though. Praise the Lord.
On guy with a tree thru his house says,
"hey it's just a house, i can fix it. the important thing is that nobody's hurt."
the guy is smiling.
another neighbor says, check this out. takes us into his backyard. from there you can see a line of trees, maybe a hundred yards across, that look like somebody took a giant lawnmower in a straight line and mowed the tops off the trees around 40 foot up, as far as you can see in either direction.
he says, this morning you couldn't see back there. too many trees.
picks up a branch laying in the yard. completely stripped of bark. weird.
Went back to the Leslie's and measured up their yard. I reckon we can make it look great.
I tell ya, you can't find a better family to share a tornado with than the Leslies.
:thumbsup:
ps no truth to the rumor that Steve saw me floating by his window riding a bicycle...
