Yesterday morning I awoke around 5:15 to the sound of tornado sirens. I lay in bed for a while trying to figure out what the sound was. When the second siren sounded (that’s a tongue twister!) I finally got out of bed and checked my computer for a weather alert. I had about 30 minutes till the storm was supposed to reach me so I decided to hop in the shower. When I got out I checked the weather again…still nothing seemed alarming. Birmingham had been experiencing this kind of weather weekly for a month now. A few minutes later the wind was howling and rain was coming down. The lights flickered a bit then went completely out. I stayed in my bathroom (being the most interior room in my apartment) and used the light from my phone to put some makeup on and get ready for work. Several minutes later, when it seemed everything had passed, I left for work with wet hair, wrinkled clothes, and no caffeine. For the sake of my co-workers and students I tried to find out a Starbucks. Tried the one in Cahaba Heights…road was blocked. I drove towards the school and stopped at the Starbucks in Crestwood before going to school. Everything seemed fine! Little did I know a “straight line wind gust” swept through Cahaba Heights and my neighborhood earlier that morning.
School let out early and not wanting to go home I went to my friend’s house who lives in Cahaba Heights. After a few failed attempts I finally figured out a route that would get me into the neighborhood. The damage and debris was incredible…like nothing I’d ever witnessed. My words can’t do justice to the destruction in the area and unfortunately I didn’t take pictures of it. My friend’s house had no damage to the structure but there were several trees down in the yard, one of which fell only feet from her window.
Despite the awful weather my friends and I actually had a fun day. Since the power was out we hung out on the front porch, swinging, talking, laughing…enjoying no time constraints or schedules. We got hungry so decided to venture out and see what was opened. We first went to Publix (that was operating on back-up power) and picked up some Blue Moon, chips, salsa and m&m’s. We finally found Baha Burger at the Colonnade to be open so picked up some burgers and went back to get ready for the next storm coming. We made a pallet of blankets, used a large bucket for a drink table, a Coleman lantern for light, and played Catch Phrase (my fave!) in the basement. It was a blast!! Then we topped of the night with a little puzzle-smithing…a word we created to describe the art of working a puzzle.
Then today I saw all the devastation the storm caused all across the south. It’s depressing! It’s eerie. It makes me feel guilty for having electricity and all the amenities it provides. It made me think though…I feel guilty today for people down the street, but what about every day for people everywhere!?! This is nothing compared to the hardships people face everyday, all over the world and even right here in Birmingham. I don’t have any answers or enlightening ideas, but it humbled me a bit.
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