h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hello Everyone. A terrible storm hit Memphis Tuesday morning at about 7am. Gale force winds reaching 100 miles per hour ripped through the city. Enormous trees were snapped like toothpicks, or uprooted altogether. Branches fell everywhere, and leaves were ripped off - the ground was coated with them. 300,000 homes and businesses have lost power. 75% of the city's traffic lights were torn down or damaged, so driving anywhere is a nightmare. Plus many streets were blocked by fallen trees and telephone poles. Gas stations had gas, but no power to pump it. Some homes have had power restored by today (Saturday), but most of the city remains in the dark, and it will take at least a couple weeks before they have power. Downtown, some roofs were ripped off buildings. Here in East Memphis, the CLark Tower, a tall building, had numerous windows sucked out. Their have been some deaths because of the storm. One man was crushed by a falling tree. There have been deaths in fires, from people using candles. And a boy died from generator fumes.

My family and I are safe. Our neighborhood was one of the hardest hit in the city. I was upstairs when the storm started. At first it just started raining, and there was a bit of thunder. My Mom hates thunder, so I thought I'd better go check on her downstairs. I stepped into the hall, and flipped the lightswitch, but nothing came on. So I walked down the stairs in the pitch black. By the time I reached my Mom's room, rain was pounding against every window, driven horizontally. My Mom has a hard time walking, and we had a hard time getting her into my Dad's room, and into the closet. Wind started moaning through the front door, making a terrible sound. Once we got in the closet, the wind died down almost immediately. Within 15 minutes, the storm was over. But what a 15 minutes that was! Our beautiful pear tree in the back yard was torn down. Another tree was lying on our carport - luckily no damage there. Down the street a tree that had to be a couple hundred years old was snapped in two. The trunk was so big - I can't imagine the force it took to break it. My Dad was smart, he went and bought a generator immediately after the storm. But it is only powerful enough to run the refrigerator! We have a small gas burner, and some lanterns and flashlights. But no washer and dryer, oven, tv, or h2g2! I have been playing my battery powered chess game, LOL. OK, that's my report on the Wicked Windstorm of '03. Glad I am here to tell the tale!

Wow, Jellen, thank goodness you were OK! Storms can be so frightening can't they; I was in yet another not long back, but nothing like as bad as the one here 3 years back, when the mobile home (trailer) that we were living in was hurled across three fields & reduced to tiny pieces! Needless to say, we weren't in it at the time,but it meant yet again losing almost everything I posessed.

Glad to hear you've at lest got basic systems going, wise dad indeed, "be prepared" as the Scouts say! Once the immediate danger's over, you can get a certain satisfaction about the "camping" element of it all, so long as it doesn't go on for too long!

How horrid about the trees; unless you've been in severe natural disasters like this, I don't think you realise the immense sadness that comes from seeing the cruelty of nature at its worst.

How is your cat handling all this? I do hope she was inside when it hit. Yoda was outside; I had to fasten the shutters & was really worried about her, luckily, like yours, it was short-lived but fierce & when I opened up again, she re-appeared, very very wet & with an even wetter bird in her mouth (opportunist !)

Wel done for somehow finding a way to get this message to us, take care of youreslf & folks, thinking of you.

Terri & but not defeated Yoda.

I am glad you are ok!
I do not miss those tornados and terrible storms in the mid-west!
I hope it does not take long to restore power.

Oh yes! How is she Jellen?

Take care and be safe Ellen

Happy to hear you are OK Ellen!

I don't think nature is cruel at all ... nature can be powerful and destructive, but it is generally constructive. There is always growth after decay! It's a lot bigger than us individual human beings and from our perspective it might occasionally seem terrible, threatening and overwhelming. I must say though I fear nature less than I fear humanity. I fear that Nature might have some revenge on Humanity in store for us for the stuff we do to it ... the weather is really cockeyed all over the world right now.

Im so pleased you have came thru storm in one piece hon,i really feel for ppl having to live it all the time but myself i would love to see for myself just once even,tornados etc have always fascinated me & id love to be a stormchaser..Trish/England land ov puny storms

WOW!
It sounds like out weather has moved over to you!
I'm glad you and your family are ok.
Stay safe!
That is always a great reason to wear clean underwear! You never know when a storm will hit, and you may be without facilities to wash some

Hiya DragonLady

I have noticed ur name a few times now & would like to say im neglected I am Trish from England,& i would like to be a stormchaser but wouldn`t like to live the storms all the time

*waves* Good you made it over here newbie Lady Thunderwing
These folks are very nice to meet.

Lady Thunderwing~
I am pleased to meet you
I don't know about being a stormchaser, but sometimes when I am extremely preturbed with life, I will stand out in a gale force wind, or torrential downpour, and dare it to do it's worst.
When I was about 12 years old (I just noticed that 12 was an extremely eventful year for me) I was struck by lightening It was the weirdest feeling ever, knowing what was going to happen, but not being able to change it, because it happened within a blink of an eye. I cna't say that it hurt, really, but it certainly was a memorable experience However, I wouldn't reccomend it to anyone..... My shoes got melted to the pavement where I stood, while I ended-up about ten feet back of where I originally was. Only ten feet because there was a wall to stop any further progress backward
I see beauty in storms. Terrible passion that cannot be contained anymore. Sometimes I feel that way inside, and the only expression of it is a storm of Mother Nature's.

Hiya Abbi

Yeah i made it hon,your directions were good LOL Its 6.44 in the morning here & i need coffee & lots ov it an all
How are you Abbi ?...Trish

Hiya DragonLady

I too see beauty in storms they have always fascinated me,Mother Nature is a very powerful force isn`t she...I love to walk around in storms,go out on purpose most the time,mind you my storms arn`t a patch on yours...I have never been hit likes by lightning though...can`t begin to imagine how it feels hon..Have you ever taken photos ov a storm ? Thats really what i`d like to do as i want to be a photographer mainly & would like to take photos ov nature at its best & its worst Chat soon...Trish

I am good It is bedtime here 12:37am

Hiya Abbi

I think it`s close to my bedtime here & it`s only 10.17pm LOL im really tired tonite

Taking pictures with my camera would be a fruitless venture
It is a pocket camera with a fized lens, and anything farther than 15 feet away looks tiny.
It might be interesting to photograph storms, though, given the correct equipment.....
Talk to you later!

*fixed*

DragonLady

Well they are my two greatest ambitions so to combine them would be wonderful hon,i have just applied for a photographers job but its nowt as exciting as photos ov storms im afraid,but it will give me some experience in the subject...chat l8rs Trish

Aha! Now does the world see the power of Mad Hamish!!
That storm was just a taste of what my World domination Machine can do!!!! (It also makes a brilliant Coffee!)
The world will bend before me!!!! MWaaaahahahahahahahahaha!

MadHamish
(Sorry to my friends in Memphis, it couldn't be helped!)

*whirlwind from a mad man*