The Tornado Warning and Jeep Challenge

Yesterday evening was a little scary. In the town where I was working, the weather turned ugly very quickly although we had been keeping up on the predicted bad weather forecast throughout the day. The tornado sirens went off at least two times. I heard twice. The rain was extremely heavy.

The guys I work with went outside and watched the skies. A couple of them came back in and said we need to find shelter. So my coworker, R, and I ran to an internal room in the back of the huge building. I don’t know what you call this type of building. It is very large and the inside is pretty much one massive room that is a showroom of furniture and appliances. These are the types of buildings you see on the news where tornadoes and high winds peel the roof off seemingly quite easy. You know like those cans of tuna or seafood you opened with a key. So we ran to the back and sat in a work/ storage room.

When the siren went off again, the men started talking about us getting to a coworker’s home because he has a basement. My after-thought now is we should have stayed right where we were.

Several guys took off in a car. R said she was going to drive her Jeep so J hopped in with her because he knew how to get to the coworker’s house. They were yelling for me to go with them. So I ran to the Jeep. The rain was so heavy and I was drenched by the time I got to the Jeep. I opened the back door and oh.my.gosh….could that backseat have been any higher up? This seat was in the nose bleed section. How I am supposed to hoist myself up?!

I’m being poured on. I’m slippery. The Jeep is slippery. I cannot lift my leg up to put my foot on the teeny tiny ledge!

My denim capris were already tight but now they were tighter and heavier from being drenched with rain water. I could not lift my carcass up. I’m throwing my upper body into the Jeep but my lower half would not follow. I’d slide right back out.

R and J are still yelling for me to get in. After I slid out again, I said that I was just going to stay at the store. They were yelling, “No, get in! Let’s go!” Half my body was sorta in and I’m yelling. “Go! Go!” Of course, she couldn’t drive across town with the door open and my arse and legs hanging out.

J is trying to grab me and pull me in from his front passenger seat. I do not know how but I managed to pull myself in. I think J had a grip on me and pulled too. Then we sped off.

I couldn’t get buckled in until halfway there. We were barreling through high water, heavy rain, and hail. We did a bit of hydroplaning as well. All I could think about was dying from a rollover and not the tornado.

We finally made it to the house. Those two blew out of the Jeep with no problem and ran the distance to the house. I tried to gracefully slide out of the jeep but that slide turned my wet capris into a thong.

I ran through the heavy rain and deep puddles to get to the house. Then there we stood dripping wet on the kitchen floor before going on down into the basement.

Then I started freezing. And then we all started laughing about me trying to get into the jeep. I laughed and said I’m walking back. I’m glad I found it humorous too.

When we had to get back into the Jeep to head back to the store, J got down on the ground with one knee up. He made a step for me. I apologized if I hurt his knee and he said, “Don’t worry, I lift refrigerators all the time.” Gee, thanks J! We laughed again at the comparison.

This morning as I move around, I notice that all the muscles in my back ache. I have bruises on my shins, a sore wrist, bruised knees, and an achy left shoulder. And, most painfully, a bruised ego. I have never felt so weak in my life. I was always a picture of strength. Just 10.5 short years ago, I ran the Warrior Dash and was in excellent condition. I scaled walls and ran through, over, and under numerous obstacles while passing young men in their 20’s along the way. So this was rather disheartening.

I guess I see a new challenge ahead for me. Regaining strength. I don’t ever want to feel that I might be left behind again.

Yesterday, I made a memory with my new coworkers. We can laugh now but at the time it was a little scary. I’m glad it all worked out well and the town’s people didn’t suffer like so many in the states south and west of us.

While I added humor to yesterday’s experience always be safe and be smart during weather warnings. Tornadoes are nothing to mess with. ♥️

Andi