No one that was with me was hurt. Miraculously, all of my neighbors survived too.
Yes, the warnings were accurate and gave plenty of time. They had a very specific area designated and I was in the exact middle of it, the meteorologists were spot on. I was in a purpose built storm shelter built into the floor of my garage. My two friends, their dog and I all got in with about 10 min to spare.
What was the noise like? I’ve heard people say it’s like standing next to a loaded freight train at full speed.
That’s definitely accurate but it was a gradient up to that point. At first it was just hard rain and small hail that had already been falling. Then it got louder and we heard larger hail hitting my friend’s car that was just outside the garage. Then louder and louder, I was just feeling bad for her because of her car at that point. Then it was just banging and crashing sounds and I was just hoping that through sheer wishing and force of will that it was just my garage door that broke and all I was hearing was stuff blowing into my garage. Then it got louder and louder with a fairly distinct single crash.
It did not ramp down the way it ramped up, or the adrenaline masked it but I feel like after the last hit it was back to quiet pretty quickly. Ears popped once during the ramp up and like crazy during the eye, which went directly over my house.
The shelter is a steel box with a sliding and locking roof/lid. It is fully enclosed on all sides but there are air vents that lead to chambers to keep ventilation, but all with hollow spaces around it and nothing that allows any direct intrusion. The moment the house fell a cloud of dirt dust and just generic debris particles blew straight in all around us.
Do you register your storm shelter with the rescue services ahead of time? It sound like, if a house falls on it, you could be stuck in there without external assistance.
Yes, county emergency management makes it very easy to register what type of shelter, where it is in your house and how many occupants live there. Not everyone does it but my wife did it the first week we lived there. I was able to dig my way out but I had neighbors that were trapped.
Is it underground?
Yup
did you died
Nope
good job
Where were you in the house when it hit? Was it the best spot, in retrospect?
How bad was the damage to your house?
Did your tornado sirens work?
I was in a purpose built shelter. I do not believe I would be alive if I was anywhere else.
Catastrophic, but the weird quirk of where stuff landed for me is that nothing that was in the actual house left the property. I got absolutely everything that I wouldn’t be able to replace and lost zero sentimental items.
We heard them but to be honest, they go off from time to time and we rarely go to the shelter. I know the official position is to run for shelter the second you hear them but most people treat them as an alert to check the detailed warnings, look at the radar and go look outside. I did all of the above and the combination made me decide to go into the shelter for the first time in like 3 years. We were down in plenty of time.
That’s because they do the sirens at the county level. For some reason when there’s a tornado in the county or even rotation in the county the sirens in the whole county will go off. Some of the counties in Oklahoma have a weird shape and so you end up with some tiny jutting out part of the county being where the storm is and then the sirens going off miles and miles away.
Ours are definitely localized around town, they just go off at the drop of a hat. People treat it more as “this is your sign to see if you need to take shelter” instead of “take shelter.”
Do you live in Enid OK on purpose?
Air Force, I didn’t pick it.
In hindsight, is there anything you would do differently next time? Do you have any advice for those of us who might find ourselves in a similar situation?
I would have had better stuff in my shelter. I would have taken reference photos of my entire house and all my possessions regularly. I would have had a collectibles policy for my legos, and I would have taken real shoes and my wallet with me. Also my dogs ashes and a few more things on the way. Definitely game plan it and have the important stuff accessible and know the fastest route to grab it all on the way.
I didn’t think it was going to touch down on us and left the TV paused and dinner half made on the counter. We had plenty of time and I walked miles barefoot through the debris because my flip flops tore. I had the clothes in my back and my phone and nothing else.
Sounds like it might be worth keeping a change of clothes and shoes down there. Imagine if you ended up down there in your pajamas.
(Not trying to lecture you, this is something I hadn’t really considered before either.)
Yeah, been typing a lot of overlapping stuff. I’m in the military so it’s mainly my coworkers asking me what to set theirs up with and my answer is “mine was lightly stocked based on SERE training; you need a deployment 72 hour bag, not survival gear.”
And no offense taken, I work in flight safety so reviewing and improving on near misses is part of the game and how you save others.
Thanks for your honesty. So sorry for the horror you’re going through.
Thank you for the tips.
How many Cows were flying in that tornado
I don’t think too many. There wasn’t much livestock farming on its path.
I think this was supposed to be a reference to the movie Twister. There famously was a cow flying around in the tornado.
I am well aware. I fly over the pylons of the bridge they destroyed in the movie regularly.
Correct :)
It was trying to tell people to moooooooove :)
Was there a bestial roar? That documentary Twister promised a bestial roar.
Freight train is accurate but it’s a constant ramp up to that and then abrupt cutoff. I didn’t perceive the freight train sound until after because it started as normal rain and hail and kept building gradually.
As a former Midwesterner, I’m just glad you’re safe. I was fortunate enough to never be hit but others in town were not as lucky.
What does your shelter kit consist of? I still have a decades old hand cranked radio/flashlight that’s been through 4 tornado scares. I should definitely go replace the batteries though.
It was woefully inadequate. It was always just an after thought that was a bonus that was already installed and not something I was really concerned about when house hunting. I liked having it as a small peace of mind but like most people assumed I would never actually need it.
I had a flashlight. Case of water. Bucket with dogfood, some snacks and a desalination survival pump that I already owned in there. In my mind I thought of it like a SERE kit for survival. What it should have been was a go bag. Change of clothes, phone chargers and copy of drivers license.
I wore flip flops down because I genuinely didn’t think it was touching down anywhere near my house. They ripped climbing over the rubble and I walked miles barefoot to get around the downed power lines to where the roadblock was set up.
Also, whenever you get your house set up the way you like it, new furniture, rearrange your gaming desk, clean for company etc, take reference photos. Have current-ish photos of every room at all times. I have most of my stuff documented in one way or another, but usually because my dog did something cute and it doesn’t quite show the full picture of the room.
I feel that. You never need it, until you do. You just reminded me that I have some really old emergency food that should probably be replaced.
Climbing through the rubble barefoot does not sound fun.
It took me 10 minutes before I realized you weren’t talking about the F4 Phantom or the european Tornado.
Coincidentally enough I am a pilot…
Yeah, I was also wondered whether the house had been hit by a plance crash or something, since I have no idea what a F4 tornado is in this context. But scary stuff either way.
What were the damages?
This is my living room and kitchen, taken standing on top of my bedroom wall which was laying on my bed.
Wow. Crazy. I think I see your bar-b-que in there! Glad you’re okay, OP!
Yeah, the egg cracked so I’m going to have to replace it.
The grill, the fridge, the microwave, that one island countertop… I’m floored by how well some things seem to be while the absolute destruction rages around them.
Yeah now I kinda wanna know, how was the food in the fridge?
Being from a not-tornado-prone par of the country, how do storm shelters avoid having debris obstruct the entrance/exit doors?
You register with county emergency management so they know where to look for you. My neighbor across the street was trapped with their deep freezer on top of the hatch. They were digging him out when I left.
We are incredibly fortunate that my neighborhood was more recent and upscale. The houses were generally stronger than most developments and only a few didn’t have shelters while in the rest of the town only a few do. Everyone survived and this tornado was absolutely a brutal killer. It was not the kind of storm that just beats you up a bit.
Not much you can do if it gets obstructed you might have to wait for rescue, the important part is to keep people from harm
That’s insane… Do you have a picture of the shelter?
Yup
What was it like in the shelter when it hit? Did you ever wonder if the shelter would hold? What will you do while your house is rebuilt? Does your insurance cover the damages and temporary housing? Assuming you do have to pay for there current property while rebuilding.
It got loud and a cloud of dirt and dust flew through the air when the house fell. I never had any doubts that it would hold, but I also never thought I was actually going to be hit.
I was scheduled to move later this summer anyway. I’ll be in an Airbnb until then. I have insurance coverage for the structure, my stuff and alternate lodging. Very likely will not cover everything completely but will be in the ballpark. I’m pretty sure mortgage payments get suspended but I haven’t gotten to call my bank yet so I’m not sure.
Was there any chance that something would get stuck on top of the shelter and prevent you from leaving? That would probably be my biggest worry, after surviving I guess.
Uh, off topic but your city reminded me of a Barenaked Ladies song. https://youtu.be/28oxinZmrW0
Absolutely but we were safe in the shelter and would have been fine for a day or so. The shelter was registered with county emergency management so they would have known where to find us. We had neighbors that were genuinely trapped but were quickly located and rescued.
What did the sky/outdoors look like before you went down, and after you got out?
Terrifyingly beautiful
I had always low key wanted to see a funnel at some point. I was the right age when Twister came out to go through a huge “tornado phase” as a kid. I just didn’t want to see it like that.
Are you safe and ok?
Yeah, made it through just fine in the shelter.
Fucking hell, glad you and yours are alive.
Sorry you lost everything outside of the shelter, but also, very good that you had the shelter.
Take a breather when you can, all thats gotta be at least a bit traumatizing.
No time to take a breather. Too much to do. It’s been rough but we’re holding in there. Yesterday was the day that it really hit me and I was struggling but I got through it and I’m feeling way more normal now. Wife is holding up too, I’m not sure what she was like the night of, I can’t imagine the fear she felt being so far away and alone in her parents’ house for the night.
Got some kind of motel/hotel accomodations in the works?
Nearby family/friends with a spare bedroom?
But also, do give wifey a hug at some point.
We’re hooked up in an Airbnb through our planned move. A friend picked me up, took me to Walmart to buy shoes and a toothbrush then I slept in his guest room the first night. I’m actually going back to work tonight and he volunteered to ride along with me.
Been doing that a bunch.
Sounds like a solid plan, take care of yourself.
Ya but how are you holding up. Hoping for best outcomes with the US FEMA being a shell of itself and insurance provider doing everything and anything not to pay. Thoughts are with you and your community.
The support and resources on hand have been outstanding. We’ve had everything we asked for show up, more able bodies than we can utilize and are saving way more than I ever imagined. Insurance is gonna be a bitch but we’re meticulously documenting everything and devising a spreadsheet product to counter their low offer right off the bat.
