Tornado survivors forum?

[Elaine Spencer]

In light of all the recent tornado tragedies I have a suggestion to make. I'm not sure where exactly this belongs but since this is not really a chasing/forecasting topic the "introductory" forum seemed to be the most appropriate place.

I would like to see a forum set up for tornado survivors and all people affected by tornadoes, whether recently or many years ago, to share their experiences. While there are various forums/social media sites for people affected by particular events, I have yet to find anything that is open to tornado survivors (which I broadly define as anyone personally impacted by death, injury, or significant property damage from a tornado) in general.

The reason I suggest this is because it might be helpful for people who are suffering right now in Joplin, Tuscaloosa, etc., to hear from others who have been through similar events in the past. Depending on how long ago a significant/killer tornado happened -- a few weeks ago, last year, 5 years ago, 10 years, 20 years or 50+ years ago -- people who went through it are in varying stages of recovery, and could perhaps help those who are just starting out on that difficult road.

What kind of topics could be covered in such a forum? I'm thinking anything at all related to life in the aftermath of a significant tornado -- how to deal with FEMA or your insurance company; how to cope with survivor guilt; deciding whether to rebuild or move; enhancing tornado safety in your new home; what to do if you develop an unhealthy phobia of (or obsession with) storms; what kinds of items and relief supplies are most (and least) needed; being haunted by disturbing images of death, injury, or destruction. It wouldn't be just a "therapy" kind of thing although that could certainly be part of it; and there would be some overlap between this group and the chaser community since some chasers have, themselves, been affected by tornadoes or been among the first to respond in the aftermath of a tornado.

If there is already a forum like this out there and I simply haven't heard of it, let me know. Otherwise, any suggestions you have are welcome.

 

[Payden Miller]

I have a story to tell about the Joplin tornado...

I live in Pittsburg, Ks, about 30 miles from Joplin, and I started chasing this storm about an hour and a half before it produced the tornado. I got to Columbus and stopped there while it passed just to my North and after it passed I got back in my truck and took off behind it. I'm pretty new to chasing and I felt myself getting into a bad position so I just got the hell out of there, and boy am I glad I did. The next day I headed over there to Joplin to help out in anyway that I could. I ended up helping a few families sift through their house looking for anything they could salvage. The damage is remarkable. While I was sifting through the rubble of a brick house that was moved about 50 feet from the foundation we found and unbroken egg, completely removed from its protective carton.

 

[Karen St John]

My parents had an EF2 go through their town (Williamston, MI) on October 18th, 2007. My father, a ham operator, had been listening to the Skywarn net that evening, and watching the TV he has in his basement

I got a call around 11pm from my mom, "Karen, I just wanted to tell you your father and I are just now coming up from the basement." A bit glibly, I asked "What, did you guys have a tornado warning?" She replied, "Yes, it went right over the house! I'm not sure if we even have one left." Now, my parents were/are elderly (Mom passed away just after that Christmas) and I cannot begin to tell you how much terror that brought into my heart at that moment. Mom was napping on the couch when the sirens went off, and my dad had come up from the basement to shake her awake (like me, she can sleep through most anything.) As she had said, the funnel had gone over the house (after touching down twice, and then touching down one more time.)

The moral of this story is that even a relatively small tornado can cause a lot of pain.
The town looked like Gettysburg on the evening of July 3rd, and two people died. My parents house lost the roof, and much of the siding (amazingly, my dad's beam antenna had been left essentially intact. He knows how to build antennae) Their bedroom had debris blown into it, and if they had not had the two 150 year old apple trees removed the previous summer, the house would have been heavily damaged in its structure.

Both of my parents, and myself, had lived in the Alley (Mom's from IA, and my dad and I are from WI.) And they ended up much luckier than some have. But whatever jading I may have had, including my love for storms, went right out the window during that call, when my parents were endangered. They could have easily died. I cried myself to sleep that night.

On the plus side, homeowners insurance took care of the repairs, and ironically, the house was due for re-roofing and re-siding anyway. So they saved thousands of dollars, because they only had to pay the deductibles.