based on true events
Mother nature is unpredictable in so many ways, and she can be a serious bitch about it!
The massive ten-foot barn door blew right off its hinges and smacked Andy up against the garage before it vanished into thin air. He scrambled to his feet and I nearly left mine at the back entrance. The adrenaline kicked in and I raced to the front bay window in search for where that barn door disappeared to. I saw nothing. No flying objects, not even the slightest gust of wind. It was all clear blue skies and sunshine glistening off the roof tops of the trailer park across the road.
Still, I could hear the rumbling. It was far different than just heavy rain, more like an earthquake about to happen. I high-tailed to the back door again, opening it slightly against an invisible resistance that slammed it shut again. I watched some crazy weather pick up through the storm door window, it was happening about twenty feet in front of me, but unable to comprehend what I was seeing. The air was filled with black fuzzy spots and ripples like static on an old antenna television set. All of it swirling in the same direction inside of a huge funnel darkness that had no ceiling.
None of it made sense. There were no clouds directly above, only clear skies far left and right. But what were the chances that the neighbor’s red rooftop was flying overhead and crumbling before my eyes! How could there be fences and metal debris breaking through the black sky? I was looking at a column of thick wind, spinning out of control and moving west toward the trailer community.
Within seconds, the blackness cleared away from directly in front of the doorway. I quick, slipped into some rubbers and headed out to the front yard, straight into the middle of extreme wind changes. I fell a couple of times, scrambling each time to get back on my feet. The wind howling was spooky loud. Things were cracking and snapping in pieces of debris flying all around. It was like running through the barrel of a kaleidoscope with nothing to hold onto while being swept off my feet in a whirlwind.
I force myself forward and was quickly slammed to the gravel beneath layers of tree branches. Nearly delusional with frantic energy, I wrestled to free myself, and when I did, I looked back to see I had been pinned my what used to be a vertical forty-foot spruce tree! To my left, I watched in horror as a massive black blob ripped apart the houses across the street.
I was seventeen, hanging with friends when I seen the F4 category tornado slash through the homes and lives of everyone at the Evergreen Trailer Park, obliterating nearly everything in its path. This vicious freak of nature demolished trailer after trailer as if each home were a mere popsicle-stick replica of the real thing. Everything was eerily spooky after it simply evaporated in a close by open field.
The entire world fell silent during the moments following while the sun rose to expose the devastating aftermath. There were no words to describe the ruble I was staring at; the place I once lived and visited, where I had friends and acquaintances. The feeling was surreal, but Andy yanking on my arm was all too real.
“C’mon, let’s check it out!” He ran past me with some sort of accelerated ambition that didn’t match mine at all.
I was slow to react, following far behind as if lost in a haze; held up by my obvious ignorance for this geological catastrophe. Maybe it was that I was too immature to process how spooky and baffling things were to grasp, but I’d just never seen anything like it.
based on true events
We entered the trailer court from the road far left of the picture above, the water was minimal in pooling areas. This was when I first heard weary groans and screeches. As I moved inward, the noise filtered in between highs and lows. There had to be people injured, but I didn’t know what to do or where to start with helping those in need. I watched Andy rip through the rubble, tossing doors and walls from the piles of debris. I mirrored his responsiveness by calling out for anyone who might still be alive. There were two others in the area, and all of us stood flabbergasted the moment a young man suddenly appeared from beneath a pile of ruble. He threw his arms into the air while chanting words of liberation. It was an absolute wonder to see the guy, not much older than high school years, break free and dive into searching for others.
I passed a woman on a porch screaming for help while holding onto a man with half his arm missing. He didn’t look to be awake. She was terrified and confused, and it was possibly that she didn't know the whole back end of her trailer was gone. There wasn't anything I could so, but get help, and took off toward the community centre, not knowing if it was still there, but it was close to somewhere I could call an ambulance .
There were at least three city blocks before I could reach the centre, and it proved to be a jaunt through hell. Everything was engulfed under complete devastation and mayhem. For every one home I passed, the next three or four were gone, reduced to ruble. The further inward I moved, the louder the screams poured in from all around. People were displaced, running in distress, bloodied and crying. All of them beaten down by this freak of nature. Dogs and cats were dashing around aimless, soaked with blood smears, possibly searching for their owners.
By this time, the water was knee deep. Those who were suffering were sluggish and staggering, howling in agony. My eyes couldn't unsee the horror. My ears rung with their grievances. I wanted to help people along the way, but I had no understanding of how to do that. My mind was nearly exhausted in the middle of all this horror. I felt nauseous and confused. My heart raced with nervous energy. I tried to run, but I couldn’t lift my legs high enough out of the water to get any real momentum. That's when I lost my balance and fell on top of the water. Not in, but on. With both hands against the log or whatever prevented me from submerging underwater, I pushed and launched myself back up. The blood drained from my face when I realized I had fallen onto a woman.
The horror of what I was looking down at was far too overwhelming. I was frozen in fear, sadness, fright, because she was obviously deceased. I had seen death before, just not like this. It was horribly frightening to have been so close to her grey, bloated face. Her eyes wide open. I stood with my hands covering my face, but with the many images rushing in, there was no way for me to escape the gruesome reality. I stared back at her and tried to adjust.
based on true events
My anxiety settled while staring at her blue flower-print dress, thinking back to only a short time ago when she was alive and loved. Maybe she had on her favourite slippers or shoes with a matching dress, sitting down at her table having tea. This lady had family and friends, loved ones that would surely miss every bit of who she was. It wasn’t easy to process my emotions, but I felt a less anxious after attaching a real heartfelt memory with this deceased person. From that moment, I calmly maneuvered around her and continued walking toward the community centre.
There were dozens of people pouring into the building. I assumed help was there. Once inside, the chaos was debilitating. I didn’t know which way to look or for who to talk with above all the injured people frantically seeking help in close quarters. They were everywhere, stretched out on tables and chairs, crying in agony, on the floors, up against the walls, sobbing and wailing in distress. Blood and gore was all around. There was no way for me to process this desolation. How could I ask for help for those outside when there were so many people suffering inside and without any medical attention. I felt defeated, even exhausted.
A few ladies took charge and provided some sound direction for others to follow, and I heeded their commands, but there was no order. How could there be under such a horrid catastrophe. It all happened so fast, no one was in a position to comprehend the magnitude of the tornado that just took place.
Fact or Fiction:
The reality is, everyone has a story to tell from their perspective, this was mine. I watched, firsthand, the monster that destroyed the lives of so many people.
BLACK FRIDAY | Dufftile | THE CODE | ANEURYSM
TRUST | BUMMED | CHARRERIA | MISER
EXPEDIENT | LIFERS | INTOLERABLE | IMPARTIALITY