We rocked that TV mount. It was actually kinda fun to put it up. (Just found the pics on B’s camera.)
My friend Marc from high school was flying back home to Oklahoma from Texas earlier today. The planes go over Moore before circling back around to Will Rogers International. This is his first time seeing the tornado damage in Moore first hand. His reaction is what we’re all still thinking.
Part of me wants to move back home & help out.
Update: My cousins, whose home was destroyed, are renting an apartment. They have been staying in an apartment where my aunt works and lives in midtown. They’ll be in their new apt temporarily. They have the money for their house from insurance. Someone has offered to buy their plot of land for about $20K (where their house once stood). They are rebuilding a brand new house further south, almost into Newcastle, which is south south south of Moore. (They were pretty deep into Moore anyway, nearly on the southern edge of it. Newcastle is another hop, skip, & a jump away.) Their truck was destroyed, and they have been able to replace that already. I hope everyone else in Oklahoma are as fortunate.
The Patio (by ELSIV)
Our patio from the old place. Those are coleus in the white pots on either side, and portulaca in the small terracotta pots. There are some marigolds in the middle.
My mom loved marigolds and portulaca. We had it everywhere when I was growing up. Dad raised roses, and those were everywhere, too.
We have a lot of food growing on the patio this year, but I think I am going to Lowe’s this weekend to get some portulaca and railing planters to finish off the patio.
El Reno, Oklahoma - The National Weather Service has upgraded the deadly tornado that swept across the El Reno area to an EF-5.
On Friday, May 31, five tornadoes touched down in the Oklahoma City metro area, including a massive tornado that hit El Reno.
That tornado was originally rated an EF-3. However, the National Weather Service upgraded it to an EF-5 on Tuesday. Experts say it was 2.6 miles wide, which was the widest tornado ever recorded in the U.S. history.
This tornado touched down at 6:03 p.m. Friday, 8.3 miles west, southwest of El Reno, near Courtney Road, about one mile north of Reuter Road.
It lasted for about 40 minutes, before ending 6.2 miles east, southeast of El Reno, near I-40 and Banner Road.
The tornado’s path was 16.2 miles.
Wind speeds were measured at 295 miles per hour less than 500 feet above ground, according to the National Weather Service.
Several people were killed as the massive tornado crossed I-40, including a mother and her baby.
Three storm chasers were also killed while they were chasing this tornado.
No Words
The storm still moving through OKC is like nothing I’ve seen in all my years of being an Oklahoman. My aunt, first cousins, and long time friends were in the direct path of it all. Most have suffered hail damage to their house (it was softball size - unfathomable), or flooding in their house. So far as I know, everyone is alive and okay. I’m still hearing from people slowly. My brother and I are trying to stay in some sort of communication with them to be sure they’re okay.
I’ve been streaming News9 since 7:30pm ET, non-stop (and still am). Some of the worst of it went through parts of Moore, but the worst seemed to go straight through Oklahoma City. The sheer width and breadth of the storm is amazing. I’ve never seen anything like that. It’s not over yet, but people are able to get back to their homes, etc, although driving along certain areas is not advised.
I’m stressed worrying about them, but it pales in comparison to all my fellow Oklahomans there in Oklahoma City and the surrounding area, going through it all.
PS That screen shot was taken by my roommate, at 7pm Central. It looks like it’s 3am.
The very intense storm that moved through the Albany, NY area last night produced lightning, wind, rain, hail in some places, thunder, and even a few funnel clouds. We were in the lower part of the storm, but still had major action. No damage. Schenectady & Rotterdam had flooding, trees uprooted, and more.
I took this video on my Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 right in the roughest part of it.
US rescuers search for tornado survivors | Rescuers have sifted through rubble searching for survivors after a 3km-wide tornado packing 320kph-strong winds devastated Oklahoma City suburbs, killing at least 24 people, injuring at least 230 and leaving dozens missing.
The Oklahoma medical examiner’s office said on Tuesday that 20 children were among those confirmed dead and the death toll was expected to rise.
US president Barack Obama called the devastation “one of the most destructive tornados in history”.
The tornado devastation in Oklahoma and surrounding areas is a horrific tragedy beyond words. At least 145 people reported injured with the death toll at 51, including 20 children.
Please give what you can to help those who need it.
Also consider Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief, Salvation Army, and United Way of Central Oklahoma.
Please give. Mom’s cousin (my 2nd cousin) & her husband lost their home, completely. It’s the first time any of our family has been hit by a tornado. She was dug out of the rubble, while laying on top of the five children she was babysitting (one of whom is my 1st cousin’s 5 year old son). The area is a disaster. Pictures just can’t tell the story of how devastated it is down there right now.
(Source: laliberty)
All my friends back home are dodging tornadoes right now. So far, they are okay, but Facebok is lighting up with pics of wall clouds, damage, etc. My friend Regina posted a pic of a hail stone the size of her whole hand. The main storm is moving NE toward Tulsa. It’s rough.
(Source: thinksquad)
Skinnygurl takes a roll in the hay, so to speak.
Oprah Sewell
I was talking on the phone to my aunt tonight about someone she had dated, that was a little wacky. I quoted Maya Angelou, when she said, “the moment someone shows you who they are, believe them”.
My roommate pops up and says “Put a lid on it, Oprah!”
This is probably my quintessential fridge. It’s perfect in every regard. The only other kind I’d go for is some sort of beverage cooler you see in a restaurant, as long as I could set the temp low enough for foods, etc. (I guess I’d still need a freezer.)
(Source: architectdaily, via thominoz)
