Sometimes we look at sights in nature but don't really see. While hiking in the woods the other day, it became a realization that we need to open our heart and eyes to see the beauty of the simple things in nature with each season. There is so much order and purpose in His creation. God has given us awesome beauty in this world to see and enjoy... if we would but stop to see and feel it. Join us as this blog is about stopping to see the real beauty around us...to touch and feel it... "Through the Lens".

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Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Stormy

I forgot how scary really bad weather can be in an RV.   We had some real nail biting weather this past weekend here in the south.   Rains began Friday but by Saturday things were getting ugly.  Lots of thunder and lightning and tons of hard rain.  Along with that came the tornado watches.  A watch is just that...a watch.  Weather is conducive to a tornado so be on your toes.
                                         

                                   
It rained enough for this little creek to have a little waterfall



Early Saturday morning that watch went to a warning!!!  When there is a warning the sirens immediately go off.  The pole that houses the horn for the siren is just outside our RV.  Talk about falling out of bed and getting dressed quickly....we did.  We immediately headed for the bath house which is also in the inner circle of the campground loop we are in.
                                 
Bath house pic taken after the storms had passed

The most disturbing thing was nobody in any of the other RVs came out to go to the bath house.  I know the odds were in their favor that no tornado would come through the campground but REALLY....do you want to take that kind oif chance?  Especially when you can spend some quality time with your fellow campers in the men's room.

This scenario would repeat itself several times during the weekend.  Tornados did touch down in Auburn and Opelika and did create much damage.  AND....a tornado did come through Chewacla State Park and took the roof off of a mobile home.
I am happy to report that by Sunday the campers were taking shelter at the bath house.

Nobody in the campground was injured and the weather finally cleared up today.  In fact, this afternoon, the sun actually came out.  Boy was it nice to see that big bright beautiful ball of fire in the sky.
                                   
A pretty sight after 4 or 5 inches of rain in 3 days

I can't stress enough to stay safe and take these weather situations seriously.  An RV, no matter what it's size, is no match for a tornado, floods or extreme winds.  There are several really good apps for your cell phone such as...Weatherbug and Accu Weather to name a couple.  Many full-timers also have a weather radio such as the NOAA weather radio.  You should also know where to go in your campground if there is dangerous weather.

Take care and always stay safe!!

7 comments:

  1. Glad to see you made it through that mess OK? We spent much of Sunday under a tornado warning over in St Marys ourselves. We had our "go bags" ready and were only a short sprint from the bath house. Fortunately most of the real ugly stuff stayed to our north and we just had to put up with a lot of rain but not much wind. Just another exciting day on this adventure called life!

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  2. We agree and spent some quality time in the mens room at our campground here in Georgetown,Fl as the front passed through.Also,we were alone.

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  3. My goodness...that would be really scary for sure. We had sirens in OK City a few years ago. We did as you did and hit the bathroom. Most people did join us. The difference might be that the people know that tornadoes do touch down in OK City. Maybe were your are they just thought it would never happen. That is not an excuse for not heeding the warning though. Glad all are safe. This weather this year all over the country is crazy for sure.

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  4. So glad you were able to ride out the storm safely and you and your New Oliver were none the worse for the wear. We were rockin' and rollin' here with 25-35 mph winds. I can't imagine what that would feel like in your Oliver! I'm sure those blue skies were a welcomed sight after the storms passed...and you're right, each season has its own beauty.

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  5. Glad no tornados came your way. Sadly there were many fatalities from that tornado producing squall line. I don't understand why people in RVs ignore weather alerts. Most of the fatalities were in mobile homes, which although not safe either, are better than an RV.

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  6. I and our dog, Taz, would have been terrified. Good for you that you took cover. How scary though. We watch the weather carefully wherever we are. Last week we came down from the mountains to the desert to avoid rock and mud slides and snow and the week before we came in from boondocking up a canyon because of the possibility of flash floods. Some people got stranded the following week when the road washed out. Thanks for the reminder though.

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  7. Here in the panhandle of FL, we were under a tornado watch for two and a warning for four hours. I did feel a little safer in a house than the motorhome.

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