Severe weather April 13 & 14 2012 in Tornado Alley

[octobermoon]

My son and I just drove around for a quick tour of the area, didn't attempt to go into any of the major damage areas at all, but our whole neighborhood has dozens of trees down, some broken, some uprooted. I will go out again in the morning to check our farm, but it is further north so I THINK it will all be ok....a guy who lives near there would have called by now if he saw anything amiss. My hubby was sooo concerned he went to bed. We lost electricity for only about a half hour or so. But other parts of the area have no power at all, and there is a broken pole down on the main road so we may lose it again when they come to fix that. I'll have to admit that this was the most anxious I got over a storm for a LONG time.

So glad you all are safe Next time get in the tub with the laptop. I wasn't kiddin'

 

[wfgodot]

Reports indicating Woodward OK hit by tornado, possibly heavy damage. (A tornado there on 09 April 1947 killed 181, deadliest toll from a twister in U.S. history.) Apparently massive damage and injuries according to News9.

The aftermath also produced one of the most baffling kidnap cases in memory, the disappearance of Joan Gay Croft, 4 years old; there's a WS thread devoted to it. Here's an article from 2008:

After 61 years, Joan Croft still a mystery (Enid News)

---
Tornado Strikes Woodward Causing Major Damage, Injuries (news9.com)

 

[raeann]

We gotta talk. I am sitting here reading your posts and yelling at my computer. So what if you aren't in the direct path! Nobody tells a tornado where they can or can't go. And sometimes they don't follow direct paths.

Now it is probably over in your area and I see you are still online. I'm glad. But next time, Go To The Basement! I am warning you now, if you don't go to the basement next time I am putting ya on ignore. You Make Me Nervous!

Kidding. Kinda. But sometimes if you can see or hear a tornado it is already too late. Don't wait the next time ok?

Sorry....we DID go to the basement....we had the radar on the iPad screen so knew exactly where it was and went down about 10 minutes before it actually hit. When the hail started, I knew we would have to go down. Lost electricity about 10 minutes or so after we got down there, so no tv or internet.....thank god it came back on or I would be typing from a hotel room somewhere!!!

 

[mysteriew]

Looking for info on the tornados tonight. Found an article on aljazeera news. (frequently runs terrorist videos). Why are they following our tornados and why does that make me nervous?

 

[raeann]

Heading direcrtly for Andover. Weatherman on KSN just hustled off screen, camera guy seems to still be there.

ETA: Andover seems to have gotten through it, it's now heading for Towanda.

Tornado warning just issued for Rice and Eldon (?) counties. Tornado heading towards Salina (again, God help them).

Serious damage to Wichita being reported. Incl. McConnell AFB.

MISSED THAT on KSN....no electricity.... one of the weatherman on KSN is my next door neighbor's son and we live near Andover so it may have been him heading out! They have a HUGE tree across their front walk, but their house is fine.

 

[mysteriew]

A mobile home park near 52nd Street South and Clifton was heavily damaged by a tornado that swept through Wichita tonight.

There also was a fire burning in the middle of the Pinaire Mobile Home Park, apparently caused by a ruptured natural gas line. There were no immediate reports of how many people might have been injured.

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2012/04/14/2296843/tornado-heavily-damages-south.html#storylink=cpy

 

[wfgodot]

Reports indicating Woodward OK hit by tornado, possibly heavy damage. (A tornado there on 09 April 1947 killed 181, deadliest toll from a twister in U.S. history.) Apparently massive damage and injuries according to News9.

The aftermath also produced one of the most baffling kidnap cases in memory, the disappearance of Joan Gay Croft, 4 years old; there's a WS thread devoted to it. Here's an article from 2008:

After 61 years, Joan Croft still a mystery (Enid News)

---
Tornado Strikes Woodward Causing Major Damage, Injuries (news9.com)

Bumping myself. (Sounds kinky.) Apparently sirens failed to sound. Reports still coming in. Search and rescue in progress. People trapped in homes. @woodwardnews on Twitter

 

[RoseRed]

Over 100 tornadoes reported today. Tornado warnings in Nebraska and Kansas. Looks like Texas and Oklahoma will have potential for some bad weather until 6 am.

My son is at a Nebraska Truck Stop but close to the Kansas border. Said they have had tornado warnings most of the afternoon.

 

[mysteriew]

Sorry....we DID go to the basement....we had the radar on the iPad screen so knew exactly where it was and went down about 10 minutes before it actually hit. When the hail started, I knew we would have to go down. Lost electricity about 10 minutes or so after we got down there, so no tv or internet.....thank god it came back on or I would be typing from a hotel room somewhere!!!

Thank you, I feel better now. Guess I won't be putting you on ignore after all! (LOL I don't do that anyway)

 

[Herding Cats]

MISSED THAT on KSN....no electricity.... one of the weatherman on KSN is my next door neighbor's son and we live near Andover so it may have been him heading out! They have a HUGE tree across their front walk, but their house is fine.

LOL, it was rather, erm, surprising. He looked twice at the camera man, and then trotted off screen...was gone for a time, and then came back on. Maybe he needed a bathroom break, and it wasn't done smoothly. This was just about the same time that the storm was hitting Wichita, so he may have been trying to call family or something. I'd say he was gone a little long for a potty break, like 15 minutes, but who knows. The potty could've been quite far away.

Glad that they're o.k...and that you are, as well. You made me quite nervous...I don't know the area well, but I saw that nastiness headed your way, and it scared me. Glad you're all right. Just really glad.

Best-
Herding Cats

 

[raeann]

Weirdest thing so far is that water seems to have somehow come THROUGH my double pane windows!!! Little puddles were on the floor under them!

 

[mysteriew]

Emergency officials in Iowa said a large part of the town of Thurman in the western part of the state was destroyed but no one was injured. A hospital in Creston, southwest of Des Moines, was damaged but patients and staff were not hurt.
http://blog.al.com/wire/2012/04/severe_weather_and_tornadoes_b.html

 

[Herding Cats]

Some of the chatter I've read tonight indicates an entire town is gone. No name for the town that I can find, but if even 1/2 true, God bless and help those.

There are numerous reports of houses damaged, buildings collapsed, and tons and tons of property damage and lines down. The vid which will come in the morning is bound to be terrible...

I am going to sign off now. I've been watching most of the day, in between chores and errands, and my head is hurting...but it's nothing compared to what some folks experienced today.

Prayers for everyone affected by these nasty buggers. Just lots of prayers.

Best-
Herding Cats

 

[octobermoon]

Bumping myself. (Sounds kinky.) Apparently sirens failed to sound. Reports still coming in. Search and rescue in progress. People trapped in homes. @woodwardnews on Twitter

Prayers sent. just holler and we will do our best from where we are to help.

(not with the kinky stuff, sounds like you've got that handled. )

 

[mysteriew]

Has links to pictures
http://www.kwch.com/news/kwch-tornadoes-track-through-much-of-kansas-20120414,0,967047.story

 

[wfgodot]

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A significant nighttime tornado hit the city of Woodward early Sunday morning.
Early indications are that the storm, which hit Woodward at about 12:15 a.m., has caused significant structural damage and possible injuries.
A Woodward fire official said the tornado caused devastation across town and "wiped out" a lot of areas.

Read more: http://www.koco.com/weather/30893005/detail.html#ixzz1s5NvbrVd

 

[raeann]

I think there must be very few injuries here in Wichita, as the hospital has not called to ask DH to come in to work.......

 

[wfgodot]

Prayers sent. just holler and we will do our best from where we are to help.

(not with the kinky stuff, sounds like you've got that handled. )

Woodward's waaaay across the state from me, a city of about 12,000 people. It's mainly known for that '47 tornado. I'm trusting techniques for search and rescue, advanced since then, will hold any death toll down. A lot of help on the way, according to reports.

Actually seeing Woodward trending on Twitter is quite a surprise, though a sad one.

 

[raeann]

Friend whose husband and son work for fire rescue and EMS just posted that both have been called in to work

 

[wfgodot]

Can't see much of the tornado here - hey, it's nighttime - but the sound is scarifying. Woodward now trending at #4 worldwide. Yikes.

http://twitpic.com/99zq54