"The forecast is for heavy rains Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday; well, let's just say the whole week. It's going to be a gully washer, as they say. Some storms may become severe with heavy thunder and cloud to ground lightning as well as flash flooding will be possible. The atmosphere is ripe for the formation of funnel clouds, and the entire area is under a tornado watch. Stay tuned for details from our storm team."
It's nothing we haven't heard before. After all, it's March in Louisiana, and this is the norm for this time of year. Nothing to be worried about. We've got our weather radios, batteries, water and other necessities. But, no one could have prepared us for what followed.
I'm living in a 5th wheel trailer in a local RV park while trying to sell my house in the Tall Timbers subdivision, located in Haughton, Louisiana, and get ready to travel. I've lived in this area for 20 years, and it is my home. It's where I raised my children, and many of my friends and family are still here.
I'll never get used to the sudden change of weather, and especially tornados that are common in the springtime in Louisiana. The night of the storm, I was working at a local tutoring center; I finished my shift at 6:30 pm. The storm had been going on for a couple of hours and the intensity was severe with hard, pounding rains that my windshield wipers could not keep up with. Thankfully, I was driving a large pickup truck, making it easier to maneuver the sudden pools of water on the roadways. The lightning lit up the sky and the thunder sent shudders through my body as I gripped the steering wheel, praying for a safe trip. It was a scary 8 mile drive that should have taken about 15 minutes, but instead took more than twice that long. Rather than go directly to the RV, I went to my daughter's house. Because of the forecast, I had packed a bag, planning to stay with her overnight; I had already dropped my dog off at her house. It's not because I anticipated what was about to happen, but because I'm that person that freaks out when tornados are in the forecast. Yep I'm that person whom you will find in a middle room, usually huddled in a closet, or in the bathroom; sometimes taking cover in the bathtub with the kids and animals, protecting our bodies with blankets and sometimes a mattress. I've even been known to don a helmet in especially severe weather. During tornado outbreaks I'm glued to the tv news weather station and follow each funnel cloud formation. When they advise to take cover, I don't hesitate.
At my daughter's house, the ceiling was leaking, water already breaching the property. She had three roof leaks and buckets were strategically placed to catch the rainwater. We watched as the water began to pool in the yards and the houses across the street began to take in water. We were only a few hours into a forecast that predicted stormy weather and rain for the next 5 days. Finally, around midnight I told my daughter that I was going to go check on the house in Tall Timbers. She wouldn't let me go alone, so her and I got in my truck and drove the 1 1/2 miles to my house. The water was rising, but everything looked ok. It wouldn't be that way when we returned in the morning.
Click the following link to read "The flood of 2016, ...Part II".
I'll never get used to the sudden change of weather, and especially tornados that are common in the springtime in Louisiana. The night of the storm, I was working at a local tutoring center; I finished my shift at 6:30 pm. The storm had been going on for a couple of hours and the intensity was severe with hard, pounding rains that my windshield wipers could not keep up with. Thankfully, I was driving a large pickup truck, making it easier to maneuver the sudden pools of water on the roadways. The lightning lit up the sky and the thunder sent shudders through my body as I gripped the steering wheel, praying for a safe trip. It was a scary 8 mile drive that should have taken about 15 minutes, but instead took more than twice that long. Rather than go directly to the RV, I went to my daughter's house. Because of the forecast, I had packed a bag, planning to stay with her overnight; I had already dropped my dog off at her house. It's not because I anticipated what was about to happen, but because I'm that person that freaks out when tornados are in the forecast. Yep I'm that person whom you will find in a middle room, usually huddled in a closet, or in the bathroom; sometimes taking cover in the bathtub with the kids and animals, protecting our bodies with blankets and sometimes a mattress. I've even been known to don a helmet in especially severe weather. During tornado outbreaks I'm glued to the tv news weather station and follow each funnel cloud formation. When they advise to take cover, I don't hesitate.
Click the following link to read "The flood of 2016, ...Part II".
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