TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY!!!

We were at church tonight for a small group leaders' meeting when we heard the tornado warning sirens wailing. Stepping outside to check out the skies, we heard loud speakers reporting multiple tornadoes sighted, and to take cover immediately. I froze, and didn't want to leave the safety of interior areas at church, but everyone else wanted to make a run for home, so we did--driving fast and feeling very edgy to say the least.

Arriving home, we immediately headed to our tornado shelter--the bathtub of our interior bathroom, which is our most-highly recommended, best place of refuge. And, there we sat--together--in the tub, surrounded by pillows and blankets, to wait it out until the warning was lifted--about 45 minutes. Larry had his Blackberry cell-phone which showed the map of the storms, and his laptop computer, tuned into a local radio station to give us continual reports.

When the warning expired at 9:15 we climbed out of the tub and parked ourselves in front of the TV in the living room. Now it's showing us that another major storm system is headed toward us. So far, it looks like this next storm system isn't as likely to spawn tornadoes, although the warning is that there still could be a repeat performance of the same storm activiy that already ocurred. It may be a long, tough night here.

In case you happen to see the news on this recent storm activity, our area is in the same swath of severe storms that has also swept through the Oklahoma City region tonight, doing some major damage. So, even though it has been scary for us, we are safe, and have no damage around us. It still sounds awful outside (constant thunder and lightning with heavy rain and hail. Dallas had baseball-size hail tonight!

New tornado warnings are being reported now, but for an area just southeast of us. Since the wind is blowing the storm directly eastward, this one is not likely to hit us.

The current weather map shows us directly in the center of the severe thunder storm area, but doesn't indicate any tornado approaching yet--just damaging wind gusts with almost constant lightning flashes.

Whrew--what a night!

Oh, new report . . . We are under severe storm warning until 11:45 PM. Here, when you get a "severe storm warning", it means major thunder & lightning storms potentially capable of spawning tornadoes. Oh joy!

I wonder how much sleep we'll get tonight.