Be Prepared

Every week when I make my entry here, I normally have an idea what to expect for the week ahead. That was the case last week, but another one of those unexpected events blew in on Thursday.

The day started early with my day caregiver calling off due to illness. Dad was busy with deadlines at work, but he would be able to come home a few times during the day to help with my cares. Around 3:00, I was on Facebook and saw a notification that a local news station was doing live coverage of storms in the area. I was on flat time and not doing much anyway, so I started watching it.

A small, but strong, storm cell was just east of Des Moines and had produced tornado damage in Bondurant. The cell was growing in size, but it was heading directly east and would be at least a county north of us. It was only mom and I at home anyway, so I wouldn't be able to get up in my chair. The report continued showing damage to houses as well as storm tracking and other cells in Iowa.

Dad came home about 3:30 to do my afternoon cares and he agreed with my estimate that we would be well south of any trouble. Over the next 20 minutes, we watched as it started to drop south and get closer to us. Just about 3:50, the tornado sirens went off in town, but it still was tracking to our north. However, by 4:00 the storm shifted slightly south again with a very prominent hook echo on the radar. Winds started picking up outside and the newscasters were saying anyone in my area of town needed to seek shelter immediately.

At this point, dad and I agreed as well and he picked me up, brought me downstairs, and laid me on a mattress on the floor. As is typical in Iowa, he went back upstairs to check the weather while mom and grandma stayed downstairs with me. The lights flickered a few times, but that was it. Dad came down and said the clouds looked odd, but he never saw anything of a tornado and the sun was coming out.

With some grunting, dad got me off the floor and back upstairs to my bed where the news was still going. They said damage was reported at Vermeer Mfg., a nearby farm equipment manufacturer, and it sounded extensive. I got in my chair a short while later to run errands and we noticed leaves from corn stalks all over the yard.

Friday's nurse was sick as well, so dad stayed home with me and we went to survey damage in the area. A short drive to the north, we found extensive tracts of corn fields flattened by an apparent tornado. The area was about half a mile from our house and explained the origin of the leaves. One of the plants at Vermeer also suffered severe damage from what was determined to be an EF-3 tornado. The facility is around a mile from my house with parking lot lights clearly visible at night.

Thankfully, there were only 13 minor injuries reported with no fatalities. If the storm had shifted another mile or less south, it likely would have been a different outcome. This week has taught me again to be thankful for God's blessings. It also shows that we always need to be prepared for any situation and not wait until the last minute. This week will hopefully be calmer, but I'll continue to go along the path planned for me.