The title will link you to a blog that will explain, with pictures, what we went through... This is a several day blog and will cover my experiences through this event and observations through each time....
I never thought I’d be the one to panic…
But I did…
May 8, 2009 – We had a horrible storm come through our fair town of Salem, MO. According to my 85 year old grandfather the worst he’s ever seen in 70 years of living in this area. The storm caused a Code 3 to be paged, and we had to report to the hallway. I drug a phone repairman down to the designated hallway, he wouldn’t be left behind. Earlier that day, I had spoken with my mother before the phone lines went down at 9 a.m.. She was extremely worried about this storm, and she wanted Thomas to come up to her house to stay until they knew what was happening. I told her I would talk to him about it. He was coming out to the hospital to bring me the giant chocolate bars. He arrived not 5 minutes after it turned pitch black outside, it had lightened up, but he stated it was just a storm and he’d be ok at the house. He would watch the satellite and he’d be ok. I begged him to reconsider, but he did agree that he’d turn on the radio and listen to 105.3 because the satellite would go out in the storm.
Thirty minutes later there I was, dragging a Phone repairman down the hallway to the designated area. In the back of my mind, I was accounting for all of my family members, where were they? I knew that Dennis did not call this lightly, I knew there had already been a tornado in the southern part of the county. I knew that other towns did not fair well. I could account for everyone – but Thomas. With this on my mind, I tried to settle into the waiting period. I tried to be calm, and for the most part I was externally. I attempted small talk, until after thirty minutes when people began calling their family members on their cell phones, telling them to get to cover. I couldn’t do this with Tom, his cell wasn’t on, and I couldn’t get through on our home phone.
Fourty-five minutes passed and my boss came to stand beside me. She confided in me that her husband was on his way to town with the children when this started, but she couldn’t panic because that wouldn’t do the situation any good. I confided in her, I wasn’t worried completely about the kids, I knew where they were, and I knew they were safe. I didn’t know where Thomas was. I didn’t know if he was fiddle-farting around or what. I even told her I missed being single, I didn’t worry about things like this when they happened, I was calmer.
Then we heard a radio. She went down to the radio. I shifted sides, knowing that I’m crying slightly, and I didn’t want the patients to see. Only now fellow employees were seeing and trying to console me. All you can do is smile and nod and thank them. But them asking you where your family is, makes you burst in to tears that you were working so hard to hold back. So finally, I decided to move towards the end with the radio. My boss’s Boss had already marched down and stated that the High School and R-4 were safe.
I settled on the ground and just listened. The people on the radio talked about how it was impossible to get to town from where we were. They said some buildings downtown were crumbling. I heard has they stated where the houses were down. Some had collapsed, trees were down everywhere. Then Jamia started calling the housekeepers out. Most of the storm had passed, but we were waiting in the safe area. We were glued to the little signal of life outside that gave us some calm, and some panic.
I had Sylvia settle in beside me and Marty. They both just sat there and I found myself leaning into Syl, just listening. She finally tried call my house, and my mother’s. No answer, we tried the daycare, and no answer, the phone lines were down. Dennis came back and said we could go back to work, but we’d have to stay here. It was impossible to get to town. So I did, and I did the only thing I could do in this situation at work – I filed. Paul came by and was attempting to joke about how they had put me to work in this situation. They quickly told him I was filing to get my mind off of what was happening. Finally they cleared the streets, and my boss walked back to me. And I looked at her and she stated I could go to look for tom, and I flew past her and Paul to get my purse, and as I was flying past she said to be careful.
The ER had flooded and so had our Doctor’s Library – and it had solid windows. I seen so many working to unflood it, and I was running out the door, I felt guilty, but I needed that peace to truly be productive. I drove by the kids’ school first. It was safe, it was in one piece. So then I drove down HH. The fields looked like ponds, the creeks like raging rivers, such a different look to my normally peaceful drive. I looked at my friends house to make sure they were there, V and her cars were there, and the tree had missed them. I drove past Mom’s house, her car wasn’t there, so where was she? I drove past my house, Tom’s car wasn’t there, were was he?
Trees were down between Grandma’s house and mine, but there was enough room for me to get around in my 4x4. I laid on the horn and shouted ‘Come hell or high water, I’m coming through!’ I pulled into her driveway, and even with the injured ankle I bounded up the hill and steps just to embrace my grandmother and I wept. She was ok, Grandpa was ok. They told me that the uncles were with them and that they had to go to town to help Uncle Bob. A tree had fell on his house and he was ok. I told her that I would send mom back when I found her, I was going to her house next. Kissed her forehead and leaped back to the car.
Laid on the horn as I went around and then pulled into my drive way. From what I could tell driving by, Mom’s driveway was blocked, so I guess I’m driving through the muck to her house, a little mudding always did make me feel better. Threw it on 4x4 low, put it in first gear and away I went. After bumpity-bumping it I pulled into her house, and what miracle did I see? Tom’s car was parked there. I ran into and through her house screaming for her and Tom and Mike. No answer they left.
I jumped back into the car and then seen where one driveway was clear enough to get out. So I went back to town. I passed them on the way there. I turned around quickly in the JW parking lot and I followed them to the house. Tom didn’t even have time to get out of his seat, I just lept on him and sobbed. I’d found him and he was safe, everyone was safe.
Then tom took me back to town and he drove, I needed to calm down he said. We went to get our children, god’s xanax. Tori told me we were fine, we are ok. No doubt repeating everything, and Tom he scooped both of them up in his arms. I kissed them both and then said we were taking them. Tom took me through downtown, and we saw were one building had lost it’s decorative bricking, and the wood had flown half a block into someone’s car. It was shocking to look at it all. I went back to work and continued to file because, well, what can someone do that works only on a computer, and has it all done? When I got back we started hearing stories. I heard it would take a week to get the electricity back because of the broad spectrum of the damage.
To be continued...
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