Storm Damage to the Base

Last night a severe storm hit parts of the south, including our state.  Ten people have been confirmed dead and there are many missing.  We knew the base had been hit by a tornado but we didn't know the extent of the damage until this morning.

My husband is in the military and my son goes to daycare on base.  I went to take him into school this morning only to realize what exactly had happened.  I will say that it could have been a lot worse and thankfully no one was injured on base (as far as I know).  So I snapped some pictures before turning around and heading to class (with my five year old).  

Trees were down in the residential area of the base.

This tree was completely uprooted.  It's hard to understand just how large this tree is.  But, notice the power line toward the left of it that's leaning?  

Here is another photo of the same tree pictured directly above, this time from further away.  Notice how small the red car to the right of it looks next to this massive tree.

Several power lines were down all over the base.

In fact, this was my first indication that his school might just be closed today.  Roadblocks?  Check.  Down power lines?  Check.  Taking 5 year old to sit through 4 hours of law-school classes?  Check.

But, because his school was still a little further down that road, I didn't know if just a small section was blocked off, so I decided to try the other side.  (Can you tell I really didn't want to torture the child by bringing him to class with me?)  But, this is what I found when I tried to enter on the other side.  

On our detour through the base to see if his school was open we really got an idea of the extent of the property damage.

Dozens of vehicles were completely totaled by the storm.

Many roofs were damaged as well.

This was a small building.

It's hard to tell from this photo but the cart returns were very mangled (if not missing) and some of the glass had been shattered in the shopping center.

Unfortunately, tornado season is in full-swing and many more dangerous storms will be crossing through  the south over the next week.  Please keep all of us in your thoughts and prayers.  

And if you're located in an area that's notorious for tornados or dangerous storms during this time of year, please have a safety plan in place.  My son, my sister, and I practically set on top of one another last night in our hallway closet as this tornado ripped through the base, as well as another town less than 30 minutes from us.  And despite how uncomfortable it was, we'll do it again when the time comes!