Scary first timer for me.

[timdog44]

The sirens went off, 11/2" hail falling and 1/3 inch of rain in 15 minutes. I have seen many tornados but never have been in a warning before. We don't have a basement, just a crawl space and I think having been down there many times, it would be better for my wife and I to sit in the shower in the middle of the house.

Weird, we are in the middle of trying to sell the house and by one up north where even more severe storms are. By the way we are south of Joliet, Illinois. I get all excited about storms, but this one scared me. We are OK. Will have to see the outside tomorrow.

[Blue_In_AK]

1. Stay safe.

[timdog44]

2. Thank you. Will do.

How could DU survive with out me?

[southernyankeebelle]

3. I bet your scared to death. I know I would be also. It should be mandatory from now

on when homes are built they should have a place to go to for safety. Be careful. I hope things pass by fast.

[timdog44]

5. I agree.

We will be careful. Seems as the older I get the more precious it is. I used to head out to the yard when stuff like this happened, and my wife would be furious. This time I beat her to the bathroom.

[southernyankeebelle]

7. true. As I get older I think about how life is so precious and I want to be around

for my granddaughter. My mind is always preoccupied with that. She has a mother who is strange to me. But not much I can do. I know the mother hates it because we are close and she knows it.

[timdog44]

9. I suppose a lack

of the knowledge of that preciousness allows us to do the things in our youth that we talk about as we get older.

I am glad the granddaughter and you share a good relationship. That has to be fun, we did not have children but revel in our 35 nephews and nieces. Plus some grand nephews and nieces. I almost can not keep track anymore.

[southernyankeebelle]

15. wow that alot to keep you busy. I have a twin sister and she is close to my granddaughter.

Although she lives in another state but she calls us everyday and speaks to both of us. I come from a large family and the funny thing is each sibling that is married only had one child. My son had my granddaughter. My nephews each had 3 kids. I love them all. But they all live in different states.

[AndyA]

4. I'm glad you and your wife are OK

I live in Oklahoma, so I know all too well what you were feeling.

Hope everything outside is OK. I guess Mother Nature wants to remind us sometimes that she's pretty powerful.

Sending calming thoughts your way.

[timdog44]

6. For now it is calming.

But they are talking about things until about 1 am. I am sure living in Oklahoma, you for sure know.

[LWolf]

8. I've experienced one tornado warning,

back in the 1960s. I've lived on the left coast ever since.

I was small; maybe 6. We had an apartment upstairs in a big old house that had been divided to make 4 apartments. My mom had the radio and tv on. I got a blanket and my favorite stuffed animal and crawled under what passed for a couch; it was really something more like patio furniture, and easy to lie under. I guess it gave me the illusion of security. I listened to the news until it got too close; then my mom hustled us into the basement.

I'd been there before; there was a washer and dryer down there. Despite the fact that it had a dirt floor, and at least one dirt wall. I know there was a dirt wall, because the whole time we waited for the tornado to pass, I was staring at the giant (big enough for me to crawl into) tunnel-like hole, covered by cobwebs. I'd never been that far into the basement before. I kept waiting for a giant spider to jump out of the hole. Fortunately, the tornado did not hit our neighborhood.

I left tornadoes behind in '67, replacing them with earthquakes. I remember how scary it was, though. I'm glad you are okay.

[timdog44]

11. Thank you

from my wife and I. Weird how the weather seems to be increasing in severity.

When the F5 tornado came through Plainfield, Ill town I was working in the surgery department of a local hospital. It is amazing the damage that a human being can suffer. The utter destruction was indescribable. It killed 29 and injured about 350. That was in 1990 and was the only F5 ever in the Chicago area. I remember working for hours at the hospital. I was an old ER nurse and then an OR nurse and worked both areas after the tornado.

[RebelOne]

21. I am in North Georgia and experience at least 2 tornado warnings every year.

I live in a mobile home, and when I hear the tornado warning sirens go off, I am terrified, as I have no basement and nowhere to run. Fortunately, in the past couple of years, the tornadoes have skipped over my area.

[LWolf]

22. Mobile home parks

should have a common shelter for residents.

[Honeycombe8]

10. If by crawl space, you mean your house in on pier & beams...

that may not be a safe place in a tornado, since a p&b house can be taken off its beams or collapse entirely on the crawl space (a basement is a cement room). But you can research that.

I've been through a few tornado warnings so have read up on tips. I've decided to go the interior hall in the house w/no exposure to glass. Both of my baths have windows & glass surrounds for the shower/tub.

You're also supposed to get a mattress or comforters or something thick and soft to cover yourselves with.

I'm in awe of Mother Nature. With all our technology and advancements, when Mother Nature comes calling, sometimes all you can do is wish for luck and try to get out of the way. It's awesome to be in the midst of a hurricane or hear a nearby tornado (they really do sound like freight trains...there's no mistaking it - sounds like a huge freight train right outside your door). Not great awesome. Just awesome to witness the huge force and fury of Mother Nature.

[timdog44]

12. I have given some thought

to the crawl not being a very safe place. It seems like I see a number of pictures after tornadoes and there is a bathtub left and nothing else. I guess that is why we went there.

[Honeycombe8]

40. Me, too. Of course, those were probably cast iron tubs.

Even so, tornadoes pick up and throw pickup trucks, which certainly weigh more than a tub.

A tub is great....if you don't have a lot of glass around. Unfortunately for me, although my tub is cast iron, I have both the window AND the surround to the tub being glass, so it would not be safe at all.

The tip I've read is to find an interior area or room with no exposure to glass...getting away from the perimeter seems to be important. Lucky for me, I have an interior hall that can almost entirely be shut off with doors from the rest of the house. And no glass there.

[timdog44]

41. And that is where

my bathroom is. In the center of the house without windows. The only safe place for us. The neighbors have basements, but when the sirens go off, it is not the time to run to the neighbors.

Thanks for the tip.

[malaise]

13. Stay safe

Are they over now in your neck of the woods?

[timdog44]

14. We will our best thank you.

The storms seem to be coming in waves. And cells keep popping up just south and west of us and coming right over us. I am ever so thankful to have the siren system, especially at night. It is raining cats and dogs now as my weather station is saying.

[malaise]

16. I hate storms at night

I've been lucky - mostly day hurricanes. This too will pass and as one of my favorite songs says
Tomorrow Robins will Sing

[timdog44]

17. Thanks for that.

I too hate storms at night. I guess it is the unknown.

Stevie Wonder. What a wonder. I have loved him since he first started in the early 60s. I was in high school then. And I know the robins will be waking us up tomorrow. You are sweet.

[malaise]

19. For decades whenever we worry about anything

I play that...because tomorrow robins will sing - this too will pass.

[Buns_of_Fire]

18. A little over two years ago, an EF-3 tore up the town about five miles west of me.

I figure it wound up missing my little hovel by about a mile, at most. Looking out the back door of the basement at the time, I'd never seen a blacker sky -- and it was nighttime anyway (these things are scarier at night, when you can't even see what's coming but you know all hell is breaking loose out there and you wonder if this is the one with your name on it).

Please stay safe, and if there's any doubt, a crawl space is better than nothing. When Ma Nature takes a notion to brush you off the face of the planet, the least you can do is make it a little more difficult for her.

[timdog44]

20. We will

fight her until the end. And thanks.

[timdog44]

23. It is amazing how tiring the stress

of all this is. We are off to bed. So far it seems to be abating, but they are calling for more through the night. We shall see. Thanks to all for the good vibes. It really is a family here and I am humbled by your thoughtfulness.

[dixiegrrrrl]

24. Anyone in your neighborhood have a basement/shelter?

Get to know them, real soon.

In my area, the neighbors who have basements freely volunteer them in event of a tornado.

[timdog44]

25. Sorry for the tardiness.

We had gone to bed before your message came in.

Yes, we do have neighbors and they would willingly let us use their basements. But the siren rang, the raiin and hail was beating down, and I am not sure that is a good time to hightail it several hundred feet. We would have had to be there already in preparation for a possible tornado. The siren only goes off when one is seen.

Thanks for the suggestion, though.

[timdog44]

26. I want to reply

to my own thread to thank everyone for the good thoughts and wishes and suggestions. I have been outside and nothing seems to be amiss. We took on over 2 inches of rain, lots of wind and a tornado about 5 miles away, as it turns out.

I am sure from looking at the system that came through that there are people who were not as lucky. You all are wonderful. Tim

[arthritisR_US]

27. Wow! That's the type of situation that would

scare me silly. Let us know how the outside did and stay safe

[timdog44]

29. We just did a survey of the local area

and things look good. Talked with a couple neighbors and everyone seems OK.

We go to see some houses today for prospective purchase. I guess this is a good time to go to see how they fared in this latest spat of storms.

Thanks for the inquiry.

[life long demo]

34. So happy everyone seems to be ok

Pretty wild weather. It's coming east

[KharmaTrain]

28. Joliet Is The Local Tornado Alley...

...the nasty storms tend to track along the Illinois and Des Plaines Rivers. I was working in Joliet on August 31, 1990 when the Plainfield tornadoes came ripping through and dealt with all the recovery efforts in the week that followed. Tornadoes are fascinating but nothing to mess with...hopefully you're new house will be in a safer area or have either a basement or some kind of storm shelter nearby. I've been told that other than a bathtub the other best place to hide in a storm is under a heavy piece of furniture. Fortunately we had lots of thunder and lightning last night but few funnels...stay dry...

[timdog44]

30. We have a friend who lived in Plainfield for

two tornadoes. She lost her house in the 1990 tornado. Fortunately no personal damage. Luckier than the 29 who died and the 350 injured. I think I mentioned above I worked at a local hospital (Silver Cross Hospital) at the time. I was on my way home and heard on the radio about the severity and just turned around and went back. At the time I was an OR nurse, and had some ER experience too. So I started out in the ER and eventually had to go to the OR to do surgeries. Lots of bad lacerations and broken bones. My previous experience as an orthopedic nurse came in real handy.

Thanks for the inquiry. Interesting you went through the Plainfield tornado. We had some friends who used to live near the catholic church there and that area was leveled, right near the high school. I also knew a guy who worked in Kerr Glass who was driving along Rt 59 and his car was picked up and deposited in a corn field. He had injuries that have affected him to this day.

[KharmaTrain]

31. I Worked Across From Silver Cross...

...at that radio station. I looked out a back window that faced west over the river valley and saw the funnels but it wasn't until they were already on the ground that we got the official notification from the National Weather Service. While we were able to give out severe storm warnings we didn't give the tornado alert until it was too late for the folks in Plainfield and Crest Hill. We lost power but fortunately had a gas generator that kept us on the air until Com Ed restored regular power. For the next week we went "wall-to-wall" with reports and announcements from insurance companies, hardware stores and other storm related businesses. The crooked owner of the station (who later went to jail) made a windfall.

A funny story of that day was Jim Edgar, who was running for governor, was in the studios when the storm hit. He was stuck in a small, dark studio when the lights went out. We went in to get him out and I'll never forget the scared look on his face as we walked him out the door and into his limo. He quickly headed out of town but returned a couple days later and pretended like he had ridden out the storm. Typical politician...

[timdog44]

32. Wow.

We almost have had to bumped into a few times. There was a guy who was a radio announcer there, I think name of Miller or maybe Brown. He had a daughter I worked with for a while at Dr Adelmann's office on Essington.

[KharmaTrain]

35. There Was A Lot Of Turn-Over There...

...I only stuck around for a year. The owner was the county coroner and from a very connected family. He bought the UNO card game and made a lot of money with it...also bought Indy race cars (he later stiffed all the vendors). He hated being criticized by the radio station...so he bought it and fired most of the staff just before I arrived. He was later convicted on arson-for-profit when he tried to torch a bowling alley he owned...at his trial his daughter-in-law admitted to an affair and dealing coke. Yep, quite an operator...and a republican.

While I worked in Joliet I never lived in the area...I commuted an hour from up north (back when gas was about 1.40 a gallon). There was a guy named Frank who worked at the place for decades...he used to always go the cafeteria at Silver Cross for lunch. Today the hospital and radio station are no longer there...

Cheers...

[timdog44]

36. You are talking about

Bobby Tezak. He was just recently sent back to prison for not complying with his parole stipulations. He claimed to be living on like about $184 a month. In Lost Wages. Was driving a new Mercedes. And apparently made frequent trips to Joliet to visit and get some more cash. They also found out he made several hundred thousand dollars gambling at the local casino. The guy who started UNO is the father of a lady who works with my wife's best friend. He apparently screwed the guy out of lots of money. He was a real asshat.

There are a number of wealthy bad actors in the Joliet area. Of course the mob is not that distant and has lots of connections down this way. Before I was a nurse, I was a carpenter and worked for a guy in Coal City. His dad used to deal for the mob poker games down in Coal City. One of the girls I went to college with, her grandmother use to baby sit for Al Capone. When she died, there was a string of limos from one end of town to the other. In little ole Coal City.

And I think the guy Frank, sounds real familiar to me.

[KharmaTrain]

38. Sheesh...He's Still At It?

...Yep, Bobby Tezak. He sponsored the car that won the 1990 Indy 500...we would see the invoices roll up on the fax machine every night. We figured he scammed his vendors out of several million dollars...then sold the car. I knew he'd been paroled and no surprise that he's living off trust fund money. I never met the dude but the people he hired to run the station were totally inept, racist and sexist to boot.

You're right about the mob connections in Joliet. I'm writing a history of radio in the area...the first station was owned by a bootlegger named Butch Crowley who later met the wrong end of a shotgun. I don't think it was from a disgruntled listener.

The announcer is/was Frank O'Leary (he had been at the station for at least 35 years by the time I got there)...a real nice guy who'd go in the studio every morning, pull open the Joliet Herald...read the articles and then say "I dunno what to say" and then read another article.

[timdog44]

39. If you think to remember me

when your book comes out, I would love to read it. And of course I'll get it at the store, and not out of Blobby's trunk.

[timdog44]

37. And now

after all the stuff I said the FBI will be knocking at my door.

[timdog44]

33. I forgot to say,

you are right - typical politician.

[B Calm]

42. We have a crawl space too.

My crawl space is about 4 and 1/2 feet deep and we have a trap door in the coat closet in the living room. I've always been told you want to go to the lowest part of the house and up against the wall in a corner. I never had a tornado tear across my house and I'm no expert on the subject, but I think you are safer in the crawl space than in a bath tub.

[timdog44]

43. It what I thought too.

But some people are saying no. I suppose I shall have to write the Weather Channel and find out. Or to Tom Skilling, our Chicago weather expert.

[B Calm]

44. If you find out we are wrong

let me know. That has always been our plan here for over 30 years for a bad storm.

[timdog44]

45. Will for sure

let you know.

[timdog44]

46. I just email Tom Skilling

in Chicago about this. He is very good about answering questions. He also knows my neighbor as an acquaintance so I am sure I will here in due course, and his response I will post as soon as I hear.