Today, I want to share a story about the Friday before memorial day 2019.
It was 7pm, a thunderstorm was coming, and everyone was getting ready for bed. I walked through the living room and saw the wind was picking up and rain going sideways. I pulled up my weather app and saw the large red clouds over our area.
I talked with mama and decided instead of sending the kids to bed, that we go to the basement and wait it out. We collected all the dogs & kids (which was a process in its own right), and headed downstairs. Everyone grabbed blankets, and we sat on the couch. After a short time, it passed, and we everyone went to bed.
Little did I know, a week later, there would be sirens going off. That night was our test run to make a better plan.
Memorial Day Tornado
On this night, everyone had already gone to bed. Again, the storm was rolling in and I had the map up on my app. My mom kept texting me that the news was saying it looked bad and to be ready. Like before, we brought the kids and dogs down to the basement. The kids were less pleased to be woken, but since we had done it previously, it wasn't a big deal.
Then, we heard the sirens.
We quickly emptied out a small storage closet under the stairs in the center of the basement. We crammed all 5 kids, then mom and dad into that tiny closet. The kids were now very upset and still tired and dazed and confused. Thankfully, we had flashlights and had used 1 of our phones to let them watch a show. There was a lot more crying, especially since the baby was still so young, and it got incredibly hot and claustrophobic in that tiny space. I used my phone to check on the storm status and keep family updated. We spent a lot longer in the basement that night, but when it was finally clear, we headed to bed, incredibly thankful.
The next morning, we started to hear of all the places hit and number of tornadoes and sizes. 14 or so from F1's to two F3's and one F4 that went over I-75 right by the Children's Hospital! At the time we had been taking our daughter there for leukemia treatments. I couldn't imagine being on the 4th floor that night! The hospital was fine, but it was surrounded by a lot of damage.
From that experience, we learned a few things about being prepared for emergencies and natural disasters:
Have a plan. We had to make a quick decision about going into the storage closet for the 2nd incident. Now, we know that in another emergency, this would be the best location, so we have made it easier to move stuff out of that space quickly.
Have your phone charged and have a battery pack on hand as backup.
Talk to your kids about the plan. It is recommended that you have practice drills with your kids, but at the very least, you should have a conversation at dinner some night. "If the fire alarm goes off, you need to go outside to the tree in the yard. Don't take anything with you, just go quickly."
About a week after the tornado, we took the kids on a drive to see the damage and talk about why it was important to be in the closet that night in case one came close to our house. Because of our experience, the kids still ask about tornadoes and think about that night, especially when the county does a siren test for the month.
We still are careful to balance being prepared with not scaring our kids. They don't need to always worry about what bad thing could happen. Instead, we focus on the fact that if anything ever does, they are smart and well-prepared. Basically, we want to build confidence rather than fear.
I'd love to hear what your family does to be prepared for emergencies. Please leave a comment what you have done to plan for tornadoes or other incidents that could affect your home.
Until the next adventure,
Daddo
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