Tornado!

I lived through tornado weather today--one of the joys of living in Florida.

I was watching the news and listening to the police scanner when it came over the house. Just as the wind picked up, I heard officers all over the city radioing dispatch about hail and debris and their cars being lifted off the ground by the wind. "Please advice," said one officer. She sounded scared.

I gathered my cats and caged them just in case I had to move them into the bathroom. They were not happy. Then I sat by the front window and watched. Hail battered the glass, and the sky looked green. A transformer blew one street over, and I lost electricity. The police scanner went out, and I had no Internet on my phone. In less than ten minutes, the storm died down to normal.

I didn't know if it was gone or not. I had no connection to any weather information. By the time I got the Internet and Scanner back, there were fires all over the city, wrecks, and over-turned planes at the airport. One police officers warned about another "wave" coming through in forty minutes. One street over, two more transformers blew, and the police mentioned a "live" chain-link fence.

In the end, I got my electricity back in less than five hours. The news didn't report any major injuries. My family and my animals were all fine. It was frightening, but it made me really focus on the present, on "right now." It made me glad to be alive.

What I learned: always have flashlights and extra batteries, extra water, and a weather radio on hand. Have a game plan for my pets. Don't take anything for granted.

What a day! Tomorrow I start 60k in 60 days (well, today, actually since I haven't gone to bed yet). A fresh start. Very excited.