The Storm

Last night the National Weather Service interrupted our fine TV viewing and directed us to channel 11 where we were informed that we were directly in the path of a very severe thrunderstorm. They even told us the exact minute we could expect it to hit! What they didn't tell us was at that very moment, right over our heads a tiny cell had formed and in five minutes would wreak all kinds of havoc.

My first thought was "they sure were wrong about the time that thing was hitting." But, when I rechecked the weather, I found the "real" storm was still coming: what had just hit us was a very tiny red dot on the doppler radar screen and it was moving on easterly. In its short visit it split a tree limb from the giant oak in front of our neighbor's house and left it still attached and precariously dangling all the way down into the street. Drivers seem to think this limb would not fall on them and just kept going around it.

I called Public Safety and they said they would have the Street Department up to take care of it. Then the Natinal Weather Service went beserk again and, whamo! the real storm hit. Our power blinked on and off. The transformer on the pole in front of the house buzzed and hummed and made me nervous. The lights would dim and brighten. The winds were horrid. The rain hitting the street in front of the house seemed to come from one direction and then from another. The lightening and thunder were fierce. Then as quickly as it arrived it was over.

Our lights were still on. I was amazed. We have lost power twice this summer in much smaller weather disturbances. But, even so, we lost our cable. We plunked a DVD into the player and ingnored the calamaty.

We had expected the limb next door to be removed by morning, but to my surprise it was still dangling. Police tape stretched from the light pole to a tree across the street entirely closing off the end of my drive. A traffic barricade had been placed in the middle of the road. I throught by careful manipulation, I'd still be able to back out of my drive, get around the barricade and make it into work. I was right. However, I felt just a little bit like I was being naughty and should get arrested, or something.

I was surprised to see many trees down. At the post office I learned that the southern half of our town had no electricity. The business loop from 94 was also without power. No McDonalds for hungry travellers this morning. I began to wonder if the church had power (the church where I work as secretary lies just north of the I-94 exit) into town. Happily, when I arrived I found all well at the church and everything working splendidly.

A few people have dropped by the office with chatter about the storm and about what happened to them. A small group was meeting last night, but although the electirical system crackled and popped, they said they never lost any power. That was a real blessing.

Hopefully, by the time I get home this afternoon, the tree will have been removed and I will have easy access to the drive again. However the last person to drop in said they still had no power to the gas stations, grocery store and fast food franchises on the main drag. I guess this Friday night I'll have to make my own pizza.