The Twisters That Shook Alabama

by Breedwell, Jeanie

• ISBN13: 9781466928589
• ISBN10: 1466928581
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-05-02
• Publisher: Textstream

Summary

The story is about my hometown. This is where I grew up. I left there when I was twelve years old. Do not remember much. I do remember the storms .Nothing like 2011. The month was April, the twenty-seventh, on Wednesday morning. I felt like I was in the Wizard of Oz. I was watching the news about the storms coming our way. We were staying with our niece. She lived in a trailer when there was a bad storm coming your way. You get out, says the news people. That was what I began to do. I called my mother's friend in Pisgah. I rang her number. "Hi, Doris, how are you?" she said. She was fine. "Ask me how I am doing?" I told her I was okay, but there was a real bad storm coming. "Can we come to your house?" she said yes. Before we finished our conversation, I told her I would be there later. I was really scared. The storm was rated a 10; you do not mess around with that kind of number. That is high.

Excerpts

Realizing many people have tornado stories to share, I don't propose that mine is any better or more interesting. It's just mine. In it, just like many others, I have found God's grace and mercy. So, I'd like to share it. I generally don't tend to get very nervous about storms. Maybe because, besides damage done to the youth center several years back, I've never experienced a tornado that destroyed so much. Let alone took the lives of people I love. On this day, though, I was nervous. I tried my best to get my animals to a safe place. Knowing that Sid wouldn't let my goats in the house, I just had to pray for their safety. As I was with them, a feeling of dread came over me. I did pray for their safety, and for my friends, and for my family. Trusting that God had heard my prayer, I felt better. Back in the house, I went about watering plants on the back porch. I heard a voice. (No, it wasn't anything Divine or in my head.) Someone was in the house talking to Sid. Going in, I see Mrs. Nita (Sid's mom) who had come by to bring us biscuits and salmon patties—as they had already cooked supper while at Granny's house. They had been at Granny's all day because she had power while we didn't. It was rather strange— we all live on the same 40 acre square—each at different corners. When the power went out at Granny's, they all (Sid's mom and dad and granny) decided to go back to his parents' house. Mr. Hubert (dad) felt like he'd be more comfortable in his own chair, at his own house. So, they came by the house to bring us some cooked food and to pick up some batteries for their radio. Mrs. Nita came in, but Granny and Mr. Hubert stayed in the car. She left, and Sid and I went out and waved at Mr. Hubert and Granny. They went home. That was the last contact we had with them.