A Mighty Wind (our story in words and pictures)

(April 30, 2010)

Friday night, relaxing with the family

Rain begins, which is good…we need the rain

But it quickly picks up; the warnings began

Coming through on my phone, the tv, radio

Climb in the tub with Zoe, piled with pillows

Trying to stay calm for her, signing and reading books

Russ at the other end of the house, another bathtub

The lights flicker, then go out; I curve my body around hers

Duck under the pillows, keep covering Zoe

We say the Lord’s Prayer together

Then we hear it; the tornado is on the ground, too close

Feel and hear the vibration at the same time, in our whole bodies

The house rattles, shakes, sways

The sound is deafening, horrifying

I push back the thoughts that we would go flying

And wrap Zoe in my arms, trying to keep my head low

The vibrations and deafening roar are gradually replaced by only rain and thunder

But when it’s over, it isn’t over; more storms coming

A knock on the door, are we all safe? The neighbor’s basement is open

20 people there, some with no home anymore

Warnings continue through the night

Dozing fitfully on the basement floor, my body curved around Zoe’s

Russ sitting up, keeping watch over us

The next day, we open our eyes, step out into the light

And are met with the sight of our shredded community

Trees, a hundred years old, snapped like matchsticks

Like a petulant giant had stomped through

Others, toppled over, the root bulbs bigger than a man

Cars, roofs smashed by trees that had stood for generations

Power lines hang like unlaced shoestrings from every pole

Our neighbors on each side, and all the way down the road, damaged

By God’s Grace, our home is intact, and we, unharmed

National Guard directs traffic, protects from looters

Salvation Army brings a hot meal, angels on wheels

The cool water an oasis in the heat, surrounded by destruction

Hundreds in the shelter, quickly assembled at the school

In the light of day, take a slow ride, pictures when people aren’t looking

I want to be respectful of their losses

My God, My God, this place is demolished

Piles of rubble where homes used to be

Fire station, beyond repair, roofs covered in tarps

Tree trucks, electric trucks everywhere

The sound of chainsaws fills the air

We go to a hotel that night, away from the dark

Trembling and hardly sleeping as the warnings sweep through again

And we awake the next morning to begin it again

Driving through the neighborhood, the tornado’s path becomes evident

Less than a few football fields, the distance sparing us a direct hit

Another night away from our home, but at least we have a home

We hear from the neighbors that there were fatalities

Although the news does not speak of it

Zoe thinks the hotel is a big adventure but none of us sleeps well

And she melts down over nothing at breakfast

Cries inconsolably for 20 minutes in the car, overcome

Russ and I might want to have that cry too

We enter the neighborhood, further struck by the devastation

But also by the amazing teamwork and support we see

Dozens of people out, helping neighbors drag branches

The next morning, no power at the school

I take Zoe to Chuck E. Cheese across from the hotel

Pizza and games for breakfast she might enjoy

She has shown so much resilience, flits around

Playing with glee, like a happy bird

But when she rides the tow truck ride

She says that she is going to use it to help the neighbors

To clean up their “bwoken twees”…I am touched by her heart

She gets back on later, saying “Oops, I missed a few”

As I drive back through the neighborhood that afternoon

I find myself thinking, “yeah…missed a few…hundred”

So many branches piled along the road

So high that I feel bivouacked as I drive

So the Guards’ camo uniforms seem consistent

With joy we see that the power truck has made it to our street

And tears actually well up as it is followed by 6 more

We sit on the porch and watch them go up in the cherry pickers

Stringing new lines from one end of the street to the other

And at long last, they say “Let there be Light” and there is!

And we try to find some sense of normalcy again

We watch a little t.v., eat dinner, sleep in our own beds

It is not the most restful sleep we have ever had,

The event is still too close…but we have a roof over our heads

We are together, and safe, and the weather is calm tonight

And for now,
that is enough.