…Meanwhile, our 6-year old, Cristi, was among the group taking shelter in our church basement, after I had texted several people at the church who were getting ready for the childrens’ program. At the time it was on the ground, the path of the storm was looking like it would cross where our church is, south of Kellogg and Broadway.
Thanks to a few people for making yesterday possible: Marc and Alice LaVoie, who watched Cristi for the afternoon, and Nolan Banks, who filled in for Matt and got Pat and me from place to place.
…and I’ll still get to see Cristi sing! (As will Mom, who will be home from Fort Worth Wednesday morning). The kids’ program was called off shortly after her group sang, because the gust front and monsoon rain took out 2 of the 3 phases of power at the church. The generator didn’t kick in, and folks spent quite a chunk of time bailing water out of the sanctuary, where it was leaking in the North doors.
Here are a couple of closer damage shots from the home — these were taken from our digital camera, instead of by the BlackBerry. (Gonna have to help Pat learn to hold the camera steady.)
Southern Wall of the home
Here’s where the pieces ended up….
Eave Vent on West Wall
The Arbor is on the northeast corner of the house. I included the photo to help give context for the one below.
This is the southwest corner of the garage, which is located northwest of the house. I’m pretty sure that shingle is from the house.
Closeup of the impact from a shingle, seen in the photo above at the southwest corner of the garage.
We saw shingles and other parts in a field about 1/4 mile NE of the house, though by far most of the debris fell on the maintained grass part of the property.
3-day chasing total: 1150 miles, 1 tornado, several gustnadoes, 2 funnels.
Based on the flying debris going one direction and the toppled swing set in the back yard having gone another, along with this being the right distance and angle from where we saw the tornado, I think this will be determined tornado damage. You can’t see it in this shot, but the eave vent is blown out. The ones on the two eaves on the back are blown out, too.
Oh, the debris a quarter mile away was a bit north of the line of the debris in the front yard, too.
Whatever it was, it didn’t damage the neighbor’s home that lies square in line between the path of the debris in the front yard and the debris near the road. They had a few lifted shingles, they said. The houses are about 300 yards apart.
Complex scenario today. I would be chasing if I could, but because it appears Wichita is at the edge of the threat area, I’ll just be monitoring and ready to go at a moment’s notice. Have church commitments (referenced earliier) that keep me here today.
If I were chasing, I’d probably be making way for somewhere in the highway 281 corridor from Great Bend south into OK. If I hadn’t had to come home for the morning, I’d probably have been in the Enid/Kremlin area still when the wedge was reported (just about the time I got home), and I’d probably be sleeping in a hotel in Blackwell this morning.
…and if cows had wings our cars would be much messier than they get from birds…
We got into Wichita at 2:30 this morning — Matt’s exhausted, I had to drive home (not that I minded) — I’m functional, but only barely, this morning (thanks to a 5-hour energy shot and copious amounts of Vault).
We’ll be in the Protection area around 3:30 or so, but probably southbound toward Woodward, rather than camping out in Protection. We’ll see — I’m intending to play the triple point rather than further down the dry line.
Caught a couple-minute gustnado on video in the one to the NW, about 5 min ago.
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