Killer Tornadoes Leave Devastation and Fear

Yesterday was a very strange day. I live in Volusia County– one of the four Florida counties ravaged by tornadoes in the early morning hours of Feb. 2nd. It’s a good thing that groundhog doesn’t live here.

The weather was crummy on Thursday and we’d been hearing all week that there would be storms that night, followed by cold weather. Storms in February are unusual here but not out of the question. And we have a lot of tornado warnings, usually in the summer. We’ve even seen devastation from these tornadoes ripping through small areas. People never cease to be astounded at how precise those things are, and how narrow the path can be. But this is widespread and shocking.

It took most of the people in my office five hours to get to work instead of the usual 20 or so minutes yesterday morning. Major roads were blocked off and traffic was at a complete standstill for hours. Most schools in this county were open due to a really poor call on the part of the superintendent. One of the school janitors was electrocuted, students and teachers were displaced, many couldn’t even get to the schools. It was mass chaos and a recipe for more disaster.

One of my co-workers said her niece’s husband crossed the bridge into Lake County to check on his mother. He found her dead in a field. Another co-worker and good friend of mine lost neighbors and family members to these tornadoes. A guy in my AA group rolled onto the floor from his bed (purposely) just in time. His entire apartment complex was destroyed; his cat was hurled into his car and killed. He has no idea where his mattress ended up. My neigbor and I found clothes, insulation and mail from 6 miles away in our yards. And these are just the stories I know of. There are countless others.

We are truly powerless when it comes to tornadoes. These weren’t even expected in the counties they affected. By the time you know they’re coming it’s too late to do anything but take cover and pray. Very scary and very tragic.

We’ve had our share of weather woes in this state over the past three years but so have others. It’s become almost normal to look around at wreckage and debris, to see people robotically moving forward while in complete shock. We share a beautiful state, somber remembrances and ever rising insurance rates. This latest mess will likely add insurance in the state of Florida to that list of remembrances. Who knows what will happen with that.

I have to say we’ve been blessed with good leadership. Former governor Jeb Bush stepped up to the plate each and every time–calm, compassionate and in control. Governor Charlie Crist is doing the same thing. He wasted no time getting here yesterday. That does amazing things for traumatized people. 

Buildings will get rebuilt. The suffering economy will pick up as construction workers, tree crews and others are needed once again. But the loss of life isn’t easily overcome and the fear that’s inevitable in the face of future tornado warnings promises to be real and intense.