Nature's Fury.

Hello Everyone.

I know I wasn't going to post for a few weeks, but I wanted to post and ask for your prayers.

Sunday afternoon and evening, we had tornadoes rip through our part of the state, one of them being categorized an F5 (the worst category with winds over 200mph). This tornado measured up to 1.2 miles wide and traveled for 43 miles across three counties. Over 400 homes were completely destroyed, over 200 were damaged badly, and the high school is pretty much gone. As we were seeking shelter in our basement, the small town of Parkersburg was almost wiped off the map.

These storms hit very close to home only a few miles away. I know families who had their homes literally blown away while they were in the basement being thrown against brick walls like rag dolls, stoves were crashing down only inches from their children hiding in the basement, and metal pipes, cars, glass and everything imaginable were flying in the air all around them. Debris has been found as far away as Wisconsin! Here is the link so you can see the damage if you wish to.
http://www.kcci.com/video/16395381/ (it takes a minute or two to load)
http://www.kcci.com/slideshow/weather/16393589/detail.html

Devastation comes in all forms and sizes from Hurricane Katrina to small town Iowa, and the Red Cross is always there to help. If you wish to make a contribution our local Red Cross that was there to help only minutes after the storm hit, here is the address:

I hope you are all safe and Mother Nature is being kind to you. If you live in an area that can have tornadoes, please take a few minutes and come up with a family plan if case you're ever in the same situation. If the weather is threatening, please prepare batteries, water, flashlights, cell phones, radios, thick sole shoes (for walking after the storm on glass and debris), bike helmets to protect your heads, if you have small children put them tightly in their car seats (take the seats out of the cars and take them downstairs), thick blankets to cover from flying glass and wood/metal shards flashlights, purses/wallets and so on. There isn't any time to prepare once the sirens go off, so be prepared beforehand. Just run and seek shelter.

It's times like these that make us realize how precious life is, and everything else is replaceable. Take some time to reflect and appreciate all you have in life and hug those you care about.

See you again in June.
Deb