Getting Used to Tornado Warnings

Growing up in the Northeast, we were used to different kinds of weather warnings and had our own preparation routines for each type.

Hurricane:  Stock bottled water, charge flashlight batteries, make sure gas cans and propane tank (for grill) were full, get the candles ready, put away any potentially flying debris.  During the storm we'd watch anxiously for falling trees and see the rain fall sideways.  Buying that Generac 10,000 back in 2000 from a guy that had wanted it for the catastrophe that was to be Y2K, was the best thing we ever did!




Nor'Easter:  Get the wood into the house to keep the wood stove running, gas for the generator, diesel for the tractor, propane for the grill, salt for the steps, have winter clothes ready, lots of snacks and liquor.



Tornado:  Hmmmmmmmmmmm?


We are learning the preparations for this fast-moving, unpredictable storm.  The preparations we make will be slightly different than for those who live in a sticks-and-bricks house.  We cannot hunker down in our camper...our camper may be air-lifted and slammed to the ground at very, high speeds, which would be not-so-good for us.

Our first encounter with just a tornado warning was our very first night in Louisiana.  We set up Eagle and went to bed at some point.  At 4:00 am, we were awakened by our iPhones alerting us though our Weather Channel app.  The app has push notifications that alert us to changing weather patterns, including dangerous weather.  [Of course, if we lose cell phone service, there go the alerts.] And there went sleep that night!

We wondered where in the campground we would go for safety if suddenly we heard a freight train blowing through.  I had mentioned the bathrooms (which are constructed of cinderblock and have a key code lock) and, so, we grabbed the code and memorized it.  Later that day, I confirmed with the office that this indeed was the place to go.

Luckily, that night was just windy and a tad rainy.  Neither the rainiest, nor windiest, by far, that we have encountered in this rig.  Tonight, December 23, we are following another alert for, well, we think Dec 24th into Dec 25th (the National Weather Service's alerts are difficult to decipher.)  A very restless Christmas Eve and Christmas Night is in our future.  All part of the journey.