Tornado

[Grif]

Spent last night manning my uber-radar software (GrLevelX) and uploading nexrad images for friends here in Alabama who had abandoned their homes for safer shelter. Many hadn't the luxury of TV or even power at that point and were using 3G on their smart phones to download my near real-time images.

Between hurricanes and tornadoes and tropical storms its somthing I end up doing more often than I wish. Last I heard approx 200 were killed in Alabama alone last night.

[WormGod]

I had 2 overnight the other night within 5 miles of my house. One tore through a horse ranch, destroying the barn, but luckily the horses managed to get away unharmed. The other ripped through a turkey farm. Most of them were not so lucky.

I have no basement to take shelter in so I just, went to bed. Little tough sleeping through the distant firehouse alarm all night. I am in a very contoured area with many large trees so chances of a touchdown are slim to none on my head anyways.

[Mark B]

I lived in the mid west growing up (Missouri) and do not ever remember the storms being this severe. I now live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida and 2 weeks ago we had a tornado just a few miles south of my work. It damaged a few homes but not as bad as in the mid west.
My thoughts and prayers go out to those people.