Fascinating and frightening

I'm torn. Deep down, I'm a weather geek. I'm a certified storm spotter for our area. I know clouds, cloud formations, barometric pressure, relative humidity, and all the ingredients for a good storm. I'm the freak that will sit out on the deck and watch a storm for signs of rotation while the sirens are going off. I can afford the cavalier attitude because, when our school district built new schools a couple of years ago, the provided for F-5 storm shelters on campus. And I had an above-ground EF-5 shelter installed in the backyard. When it gets hairy, I know we're covered.

But until then, I'd be like this man who caught the birth of yesterday's EF-4 tornado in Moore, OK. Notice how it tentatively reaches for the ground, lightly touching before retreating, until it finally takes a good bite and grows. And grows and grows and grows. The sheer size compared to the buildings on the ground is breathtaking. The flashes as it eats power lines and transformers is mesmerizing.

All of the lives lost and changed, all of the grief and tragedy, all of the pain of picking up and rebuilding, touches me; and yet, I'm fascinated by the funnel. I find a type of horrible beauty in the destructive power.

I have tried repeatedly to embed the video, but the code gets hijacked by some Mexican guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMF22_MEMJU

 

My thoughts and prayers

The southern suburbs of Oklahoma City look like a war zone. The reports are of a mile-wide, EF-4 or EF-5 tornado, and now reports that it leveled an elementary school. I have to believe, being in tornado country, the school districts take tornadoes seriously, as does ours. More money was spent on new storm shelters than the new gym upgrades. They drill constantly, and the first hint of a tornado, the kiddos are herded to safety.

My only hope is that they had time. A tweet mentioned that the tornado was so big, at times it was unrecognizable as a tornado. That's freaking BIG.

Any readers out there in the path of danger, what the fuck?! Get off the blogs and go to shelter. Damn.