[fingpilot]

Today is the first day I have had access to the internet (by driving 45 milkes to Pulaski, Tennesee McD's). I live in Anderson Hills (Harvest), Alabama. I had been hearing about tornado touchdowns in Harvest all day Wednesday at my office over near the Arsenal. The sirens had been going off all day at work. I got home at 1530, and there was not a standing roadside sign on the 25 mile drive home. Leaves down, a few trees, but not bad.

Power had been off all day, so (having moved here from California and having been prepared for almost anything) I pulled out a small (2k Honda inverter genset) and powered up the fridge/freezer, some lights, and the server for the DSL. All worked fine. Cells were working, I had lots of food, gas, and projects.

Little after 4pm, sirens went off, wx radio starts up, tornado on the ground, estimating 5 minutes to me. I did what any upstanding citizen does, I walked out on back patio and looked upwind. Except there wasn't any wind. It was raining debris. Shrubbery, roofing, trash, clothing. I remember hearing a train approaching from a direction that there were not any tracks. Then a Cadillac landed next door. The low clouds started moving around in a scattered pattern, and then they parted to a horizontal 170+MPH torrent of cloud. Still no wind, rain or anything near me. The tornado was doing 70MPH eastbound directly alongside the back edge of the property. I saw neighbors' house, dogs, cars, and boat lift into the clouds and disappear. It took 45 seconds to traverse my horizon. Then torrential rain and 40MPH straight line winds from every direction. Lightning took out anything metal standing above ground. Goodbye cells (still out), goodbye power (still out).

I was real lucky. A lot of people around me were not.

Now the peoblem is dealing with the boneheads that want to come sightsee, and take from them that were prepared. There is a dusk to dawn curfew. This morning's news says over 300 arrests for looting/curfew violations.

For the record, I brought my own arsenal from California. I am prepared for anything.