I woke up when Mike came home from work, approximately 1:37 a.m. I got up kissed him and gave him a hug, then we both climbed in bed and went to sleep. Around 5:15 a.m. my dog Maggie came to my side of the bed to wake me up. At first I was a little aggravated because I had no idea what was ahead of me. She was anxious and was adamant that I put my glasses on and remove my earplugs. (yes I sleep with earplugs, if I didn't then I would never sleep. Light sleeper) I then heard the heavy rainfall and turned to my iPod to see if there was any bad weather. Flashing bright red was a tornado warning....WARNING....I then sat straight up in the bed, grabbed the remote, turned on the tv and they were telling people to seek shelter immediately. About that time the tornado sirens alarmed. I woke Mike and said "If I say to get the H E (double hockey sticks) up that means run." He was in a fog but soon realized what I was saying. We waited until that one cell passed and fell back asleep. The weather in a way slowed down.
I woke back up for the day at 8:30 am. The weather was still bad but no tornado threat....yet. I went to Wal-greens and picked up some things around 10:30 am. The clouds to the north were whitish grey while the clouds to the southwest were dark, dark grey. I quickly got home and told Mike the clouds to the south looked nasty. He was watching cartoons with Claire and reading a book. The sirens started sounding again. I turned the tv to a local news station to see what was going on. We were under not 1, not 2, but 4 tornado warnings! Who knew that was possible?! 3 were actually on the ground and 1 was headed right for our neck of the woods. It was a rain wrapped tornado which meant it wasn't easily visible. Mike continued to read his book without a budge. I franticly said "Mike are you hearing this?" "Hearing what?"...........He got up and got flashlights and other things rather quickly. We got Claire under the stairs, Mike went out back to look and I looked out the side window, nearest under the stairs. I saw it! Saw what you ask...the funnel cloud. It was swirling and it looked a little different from most other clouds. It was dark almost black and then the swirling part was a grey, dirt looking cone. I yelled for Mike and we all were under the stairs just holding tight. We breathed a little easier once it passed. We are now approaching 12 noon.
It seemed like the sirens NEVER turned off. If the ones here weren't going off they were going off the town over in any direction. It seemed like the tornadoes were taking the same paths over and over again. The weather died down again and we thought maybe the worst was behind us. We thought wrong.
Mike got dressed for work, called them and let them know that he would be a little late. He kissed Claire and I goodbye and left. We are now approaching 3 pm. The sirens start again. The weather system pulled itself together and became stronger and stronger. There were cells that had tornadoes at the front and back of them. The meteorologists were frantic and exhausted. Around 3:30 pm the news channel I was watching were on the phone with one of their own meteorologists. He lived near Moulton Alabama. There had already been a damning tornado in Cullman (40 miles south of here). I am sure that other damning tornadoes had hit as well. Anyway Gary (weather man) was telling them that the wind was picking up and he saw what looked like a wall cloud. They told him that they had reports that there was a tornado on the ground. Gary said he couldn't see a whole lot because there were trees in his view that were blocking the wall cloud. He continued to tell them what he saw and then you could hear the hysteria in his voice when he realized it was indeed a tornado and it was headed straight for his home. He quickly got off the phone. His colleagues were sitting there speechless. They tried time after time to reach him with no luck. They had to keep going though, sending out the other warnings all while worrying about colleagues and their own families.
During this time (all day) I was texting back and forth with my sister in law making sure they were safe and she the same with us. The same system that had hit the Moulton area and where Gary was living was headed straight for Decatur (where Mike works) and making its way north east towards Athens. My fingers, shaking, typed a message to Mike. I told him that a bad cell was headed for him and then moving this way. I wanted them to take cover. The desperation in the Meteorologists eyes told me this wasn't a storm to mess with. Mike wrote back "Oh My God". My sister in law was texting me at this point too. My electricity went out and flickered back on, she was trying to let me know where it was. I stayed upfront, while Claire was already tucked under the stairs along with our dog. Tension was high.
I looked out our back door and all was still. The sky was black and green. The clouds were moving ever so fast. I shut the door and walked back towards the living room. The pressure began to change. My ears started hurting. At this point I knew it was time to join Claire. I heard hail start slamming the house and the floors under me began to shake. I sent my parents a text "I am so scared. It is so loud", and then my cell service went out. The lights flickered again and then it was gone. I heard snapping and cracking. The sound of thunder that didn't stop and the sound of a freight train that had gathered speed was bearing down on us. I sat and prayed and cried. I prayed that God would keep my baby girl safe. I prayed he would give me the strength to keep her alive. I listened to her chatter and laugh at Maggies expense. I thought to myself 'Will I ever hear her beautiful voice or boisterous laughter again? Will I see her beautiful smile with her one dimple on the left side of her face? Would I ever get snuggles? Does she know exactly what she means to me? Was that the last goodbye kiss and hug I would ever get from Mike? Does Mike know exactly what he means to me? Would I ever hear him say "I love you."? Does my family know how much I love them?'. The questions continued as I listened, waited, worried and cried. The hail stopped. The loud roaring stopped. The shaking floor stopped. I let out a Big cry. I sat and hugged Claire and held Maggie. I was thankful they were still here. That my roof was still in tact. After what seemed like an eternity I emerged. I made Claire and Maggie stay. I looked out back, saw the fallen tree and realized that was the cracking and thud. I was grateful it went back instead of forward. I was thankful that our neighbors aren't in arms length. I was thankful that my small but monumental tree didn't hurt someone. Claire finally emerged and crawled into my lap on the couch. She fell asleep in my arms. Her breath was tickling my neck as she slept, mouth open. I watched out the windows, my only communication to the outside. I looked for colors, for wind or still. The clouds began to change again and the trees swayed and then stopped. I grabbed Claire and set her under the stairs. She continued to sleep. I watched and waited.
I tried to call out. I tried to text. Nothing. I sat and worried. Then I received a text from Mike. I couldn't reply but I knew he was safe. He texted again and again. I was sitting and waiting for him to call me. Finally after the 3 text and no response he called. I was so happy to hear his voice. I was so thankful my family, all 3 of us were safe. Yet it seemed bittersweet because I knew others weren't so lucky. My sister in law, who was home with her 2 children, one of which was sick with strep, was ok too. She saw the tornado and it missed them by not so much. This tornado started in a small town just south of Athens (about 2 miles or so) traveled northwest along Brownsferry Road, knocking down a major nuclear power plant, continued its way down Brownsferry and turned slightly north and traveled up Mooresville Rd (Athens) and crossed over Highway 72. I live right off Highway 72 slightly west of there and my in laws live off of Brownsferry Road slightly east of where it changed courses. The tornado has been ranked a high level EF4 (190 mph winds), 3/4 of a mile wide and traveled at approximately 60 mph.
When the electricity came back on (which we weren't expecting it to for days upon days) I was so relieved and exhausted. I called my mama and my daddy and asked them to please tell me it was over. I had taken pictures of the tail end of the last cell. I have never been so mentally and physically exhausted except for that time we were stuck on I30 in a snow storm. I threw Claire and myself in the shower. I opened a bottle of wine and poured a glass. After the day I had experienced that glass of wine never tasted better. I turned the tv on and watched in astonishment the footage that was arriving at the station. The weather man, Gary, lost his home but was ok. He was in the hospital with broken ribs and lacerations. Mike arrived home around 11 pm that night and I have never been happier to see him. We just sat together. He held Claire tight. We sat in quiet as we both reflected back on the surreal day we had just survived.
The damning pictures, interviews, videos.....show people a small part of what "April's Fury 2011" brought to so many people, towns, major cities and states. They are saying that most likely there were over 50 tornadoes in North Alabama alone. This is just my version and by no means is it the same as anyones else's. Everyone has a unique story and account of that day. Many people are homeless, unaccounted for, and lifeless. My story is nothing compared to any of them. Continued prayer is needed. The clean up efforts are in full swing and people are trying to do what they can before the next storm system moves in.
I will attach a video that was taken of the tornado that bore down close to home and some pics I took myself.
