I have seen tornadoes hit down. As a child I remember in Kansas seeing a tornado from the little room that was called our basement. I was terrified as the sirens sounded and seeing the trees bending (big trees). The little window seemed huge to a child that was terrified and being so afraid to take your eyes away yet almost covering your eyes with your fingers but never quite enough not to watch. Hearing the winds whipping and limbs hit the sides of your house and the damage done afterwards was really scary.

Several years ago, I was driving home from my therapy appointment and the rains were pounding. The sky was an off color and I ended up pulling off the side of the road waiting for the rains to let up enough to see. The hail pounding the car and almost looking like someone dumped loads of ice everywhere, I was afraid that my windows would break.

I felt so anxious sitting there but it soon slowed up enough to drive home. I was not far from my exit off the interstate but it was still about six miles after the exit to the exit I needed. As I drove down the road, I had the radio on and could hear the tornado warning for my town but I kept driving fearing that I would have to get in the ditch which terrified me more than trying to make it home.

As I came almost to my exit there was a small trailor park on the left across the four lanes and I watched a tornado touch down in that trailor park throwing debree high in the air, not sure it was not going to hit my car as it just flew all around. The tornado did a lot of damage in a short amount of time but I just kept driving and did not stop. The winds were so strong but it did not stop me from pushing forward. Trying to drive and watch at the same time was terrifying to say the least.

The next day to see the damage it caused was more frightening than when I was driving through it as my fear and adrenaline to keep going was pushing me to just get home. I had never been that close to a tornado and hope to never be that close again. It was not one of those huge black tornadoes but one that was big enough.

It was a long night of funnels and tornadoes around the area (a record that year), and I spent much of the night in the tub as my apartment did not have a basement or shelter, at least not one I was going to brave out into the darkness to get too. Being in them and seeing one that close was terrifying. I could never be a storm chaser, one was enough to last me a life time.

dps