Now hearing on KFOR that the tornado has been categorized as an F5.
My heart goes out to all those who have suffered losses from this natural disaster. At the time of this post, the death toll stands at 51 and it appears that they still expect more casualties from the Plaza Towers Elementary School. There will be scores of injured and property damage will be astronomical.
The footage of the tornado was frightening...the darkness of that huge funnel must have been terrifying to see or hear. I can't imagine the deafening roar as the tornado passed.
I'm thankful I don't live in an area that is prone to tornadoes. I've been through more than my share of hurricanes, including some very, very severe ones. There is time to prepare and possibly evacuate from a hurricane, but the same cannot be said for a tornado. Especially those that form in the dead of night when people are asleep.
May God give strength to all those who have suffered as a result if this disaster. I'm sick at heart about this. Especially about the little babies.
For any who wish to know what it sounds like inside one if these things, here is a link to audio/video of the experience of people who barely survived inside a beer cooler during the devastating Joplin MO tornado. It is horrible to hear.
To set it up, a young man and his friend were driving at night when they kept getting ever more urgent tornado warnings. They pulled over into a gas station/ convenience store. Once in, one of the young men began recording on his phone and kept recording. It is astounding.
You can't see too much because it is dark but the terror of the moment builds and builds. It becomes quite loud.
Listen for the convenience store worker lady talking with someone else about where the tornado is, how close, how màny people are in the store and where to place them. You start to hear thunder booms and children crying in fear.
Then you hear the beginnings of the building shaking and breaking apart. The doors/windows blow out and everyone rushes for a beer cooler. Listen for people praying, crying, reassuring one another, wondering where their husband is or if the person they are laying on is okay and how long it will last.
It seems to go on forever. You can hear beers falling on them as they hang on for dear life. This is the most intense video I have ever "seen". It is incredibly terrifying and moving.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQnvxJZucds&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Here is an aftermath video showing where they were during the tornado. The hair will rise on the backs of your necks when you watch it. Utterly horrifying:
[video=youtube;W-P4P68YyNM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-P4P68YyNM&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/video]
lease: