Sunday, May 11, 2008

Duck, and Cover

It looks like Macon and Middle Georgia got hit hard last night. You should see the video on 13WMAZ. They haven't classified the storms yet, but it looks like tornado's ripped through north and south Bibb. One person, in Dublin,is dead, and there is extensive property damage. Trees snapped in half, roofs blown off, churches steeples gone, gas leaks, houses on fire, structural damage to brick buildings and a gas leak on Heath Road in Macon. We do not have water at our house in north Bibb, apparently because a pumping station got hit. One of the houses that's on fire is in a neighborhood that also does not have water. The Bibb County Sheriff and Macon Police have a simple directive: STAY HOME. Power lines are down. Water is standing. Trees are blocking roads. It's not safe to drive around. Ben Jones, the 13WMAZ meteorologist, is speculating that, based on the damage, the tornado could have been at least an F2. Mayor Reichert has declared a state of emergency.

First, I heard the rain, and the wind and then realized that a tornado siren was blaring. That was at about 5 a.m. this morning. Daryl got up and turned on the television. I picked up my blackberry and saw the tornado warning. I ran up the steps and woke up my son, and then we turned up the television and huddled in the only room in the house that doesn't have an outside wall. Then, 13WMAZ went quiet. It was really, really scary. And, surreal. It's really easy to feel like you're over-reacting when you're huddled in that little bathroom. We're lucky at our house. There's no damage I can see, but clearly, this morning, no one was over-reacting.

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