[DAWN MARIE]

Originally Posted by Ooper

Not that I saw. The emergency crews were there shortly after it happened, checking to make sure everybody was all OK and to help where they could in cleaning up. I think there were about 3 emergency vehicles there.

So where were you hiding out? I saw exactly the same as you. I saw some under the bar hut overhangs on the lake side. That's where the rescue vehicles stopped. I was wondering if anyone was hurt at first but didn't see anyone carried out or being treated. We made our run for the Sales Office about the time the rescue vehicles showed up.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by mulligan

Just for the record, there are no nearby shelters.

Even better. Buy one of these radios and have it go off because of every little blip on the radar and then when there is a real threat there's no where to go anyway. And there are people who will tell you how these radios can save your life.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by buggyone

I am sure he meant to an interior room with no windows when he said shelter - not a community shelter.

No, I meant a shelter. I don't have an interior room with no windows. How many homes have that?

[Ooper]

Originally Posted by DAWN MARIE

So where were you hiding out? I saw exactly the same as you. I saw some under the bar hut overhangs on the lake side. That's where the rescue vehicles stopped. I was wondering if anyone was hurt at first but didn't see anyone carried out or being treated. We made our run for the Sales Office about the time the rescue vehicles showed up.

I didn't hide out. I was already drenched so I said what the heck and helped a couple of the vendors across from Ambrosia rescue as much of what was left of their businesses.

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

No, I meant a shelter. I don't have an interior room with no windows. How many homes have that?

There are no windows in our master closet & it's big enough

[Pbsett]

Some of the vendors were hurt pretty badly besides losing all their merchandise.
Per the fire department 70 to 80 mile an hour winds and The Daily Sun makes lite of the entire evening.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Pbsett

Some of the vendors were hurt pretty badly besides losing all their merchandise.
Per the fire department 70 to 80 mile an hour winds and The Daily Sun makes lite of the entire evening.

Do you mean physically injured?

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by Pbsett

Some of the vendors were hurt pretty badly besides losing all their merchandise.
Per the fire department 70 to 80 mile an hour winds and The Daily Sun makes lite of the entire evening.

70-80 MPH winds? Doppler radar showed gusts of 59 MPH.
What did the fire department use to measure the wind? Was this published somewhere?

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

70-80 MPH winds? Doppler radar showed gusts of 59 MPH.
What did the fire department use to measure the wind? Was this published somewhere?

Bogie.

You know as well as I do that it was Gary Morse's fault. He should harness the winds.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

Could it be possible that if the storm came up so quickly, that even if there were sirens on every corner......there would not have been time for the siren button pusher to be alerted?

Sounds like that's exactly what happened.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

Sounds like that's exactly what happened.

Doc, there are no sirens..........................

[ilovetv]

You know-it-alls can snort and mock all you want, but the people of Joplin, Missouri won't be mocking the siren warning system they have.

And by the way, not all tornados appear in a matter of 30-60 seconds like people here are describing the wind strike last night at the square.

Joplin, Missouri (CNN) --

".....Every day in cities and towns across the Midwest, the routine test of an emergency system intended to save lives often gets ignored.

But after Sunday, no one in this college town of 50,000 is likely to dismiss a siren's call again.

In the middle of a clear, sunny afternoon, the deadliest recorded tornado in U.S. history spun up over Joplin. Within a matter of minutes, it leveled entire blocks, smashing miles of homes to splinters.....

"......Conventional time, counted in minutes, stopped at 5:17 p.m., when the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Joplin, triggering the city's sirens.

They had 24 minutes before touchdown, before the tornado would be on top of them....."

They had 24 minutes to escape the twister - CNN.com

[redwitch]

My daughter asked me to pick up my grandson at his day care in Bellview. I left Olive Garden to little rain. By the time I was on 301, I was holding on to the steering wheel with both hands, white knuckled (and I am a seriously confident driver). Those of us who had to be on the road for whatever reason were driving under 20 MPH and many had their emergency flashers going as they drove. There was no warning the rain would come down in such torrents. If I could have found a place to safely pull over, I would have done so. The last time I was caught in something this frightening it was a sandstorm going down Highway 5 (very flat highway) in California. Went from miles of visibility to zero in seconds -- same thing with this storm.

There is no way anyone could have been warned what was coming. I think we all expected the typical Florida 30-minute downpour, but nothing like what we got.

[jblum315]

If I'd been home I would have sheltered in my laundry room or one of the master closets, but I was out in a car with 3 other people and scared.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by gongy

you can all say what you want about last night...unless you were there you have no clue what really happened!
I would be the first one to make the comments about stupid, careless, not paying attention, clueless people. I always check my back, never enter a building without looking for a different exit if need be, that is who i am and always will be.
But, i was there last night. My phone gives warnings, and i never received any until after this all happened. The sky was grey, not black and actually there was some breaks of blue also. We were dancing and with no thunder or lightening it started to rain very lightly. Within 45 seconds the rain went from light to heavy and then within 30 more seconds everything was flying. All the chairs, all the vendors tents, all of their products that they sell, palm fronds, whatever wasn't fastened down was flying. Remember, it took under a minute and a half before this went from normal to insane. Many elderly, many grandchildren, some people in wheelchairs, very easy for you to sit behind your computer and state the obvious as to what everyone should have done.
I'm very thankful that no one killed last night from either flying objects or just fear.

Amen.
Great post.