Hope our members are all okay

[rootabaga]

Just heard about the awful tornados that took many lives, seems like mostly in Kentucky. For some reason I’m thinking that’s @olbriar’s neck of the woods, but in any event I hope the tornados didn’t affect any of my fellow AF alums.

 

[olbriar]

Just heard about the awful tornados that took many lives, seems like mostly in Kentucky. For some reason I’m thinking that’s @olbriar’s neck of the woods, but in any event I hope the tornados didn’t affect any of my fellow AF alums.

I'm safe with my digs in Southern Kansas. I do hope all members and staff escaped the tragedy. The devastation and loss of life is just heart breaking.

 

[Milo Williamson]

I am safe and sound down here in Illinois.

 

[ocnbrze]

no tornadoes here in L.A.......safe and sound.

i can't understand how people can live in tornado country. those things sound and look terrifying.

how weird is this......last night i watched the movie Twister and then waking up to see what happened. hope y'all are safe out there.

 

[jhtalisman]

Safe here in Nashville. Was at work when the storms came through here. Had multiple power spikes and electrical issues afterwards.

More fortunate than others in the storms wake.

 

[mikedt]

no tornadoes here in L.A.......safe and sound.

I've seen tornadoes in LA in movies....

The Day After Tomorrow.

i can't understand how people can live in tornado country. those things sound and look terrifying.

We had a twister blow through Jinan last year. caused quite a lot of damage. Like the roof was blown off the school athletic track grandstand, many trees uprooted, walls blown down, etc. And this area is not usually known for tornadoes. And that was the first time I think I actually seen a tornado for myself. But I have experienced a few typhoons though. Like when I was in Zhuhai in 2017, when Typhoon Hato wrecked the place, and hit Macao as well.

 

[ocnbrze]

typhoon?????

what's that?????

LOL

 

[mikedt]

typhoon?????

what's that?????

LOL

I believe it's called a hurricane in the US, and they're always given a name, e.g. Hurricane Katrina.

 

[The_Chief]

I was in middle Tennessee,south of Nashville, when the line blew through. It was a pretty epic thunderstorm for mid-December. I had no idea, until hours later, what had happened in Kentucky. Tragic enough... even moreso that we're within two weeks of Christmas and some of those people lost everything. The Darling Bride and I are discussing options for taking in someone if there's nowhere closer for them to stay while they pick up the pieces of their lives.

 

[Milo Williamson]

We had massive wind here, around 40mph gust, and 21 mph wind, ontop of that was yesterday, and the day before that was just rain and no hail.
Today is was a gentle breeze, walked around for an hour this afternoon.

 

[ocnbrze]

We had massive wind here, around 40mph gust, and 21 mph wind, ontop of that was yesterday, and the day before that was just rain and no hail.
Today is was a gentle breeze, walked around for an hour this afternoon.

where is here if you do not mind me asking?

 

[Milo Williamson]

where is here if you do not mind me asking?

Not at all man, Champiagn Illinois.

 

[ocnbrze]

Not at all man, Champiagn Illinois.

well i am glad you are safe, my friend.

 

[Milo Williamson]

well i am glad you are safe, my friend.

Most indeed, man, been hanging around online all day hahahaa

 

[rootabaga]

Devastating loss of life and property. Wow.

 

[Dannydet]

@ocnbrze, not to sound snippy, but I can't understand why people would live on a major fault line, like most of California?
Bottom line is no one is really safe when it comes to mother nature.

 

[ocnbrze]

@ocnbrze, not to sound snippy, but I can't understand why people would live on a major fault line, like most of California?
Bottom line is no one is really safe when it comes to mother nature.

because the suns out almost all year, it rained on friday, but today's high will be in the 70's, the beach is 30-45 minutes away, and earthquakes happen very rarely, unlike tornadoes which happens every year.

SO THERE

 

[MoodyBlues]

no tornadoes here in L.A.......safe and sound.

Indeed.

i can't understand how people can live in tornado country. those things sound and look terrifying.

They're far worse in person than any movie or TV coverage can convey. As you know, I lived in Tornado Alley (Dallas) for many years, and the first tornado warning we experienced was absolutely terrifying. I'd never seen anything like it. The sky--the DAYTIME sky--turned pitch black. There was a sudden stillness....everything just stopped moving outside... Then, BAM!! winds and horizontal rain and incredible sights and sounds. By the time my mom was visiting, soon before I moved back home to beautiful, tornado-free LA, while a tornado warning happened, I was an old hand at it. The tornado alarms went off outside--there was one almost directly in front of my house, so it was LOUD. Poor Mom looked mortified, like, WTF is going on? She thought we were being bombed/invaded like when she was young and everyone knew about alarms warning us of incoming bombs... My neighbor and I casually chatted in my front yard.

I lucked out. The worst I ever suffered from a tornado was roof damage--the entire roof had to be replaced. Thank goodness Allstate was so easy to work with, and got the claim paid promptly. The closest a touch-down ever hit was one mile from my house. I drove by the block a day or two later, and it was decimated. So grateful we hadn't been hit, but so sad for those who were.

 

[MoodyBlues]

@ocnbrze, not to sound snippy, but I can't understand why people would live on a major fault line, like most of California?

Because California's pros by far outweigh its cons, including the occasional earthquake. Keeping in mind that I've lived in four states--spanning the entire country--and have visited approximately 20 others, I never saw any place that could compare, overall, with California, and all I wanted to do was move back home. From "California doubles" (skiing or snowboarding up in the mountains, then surfing at the beach, all in the same day) to the spectacular views (mountains, canyons, redwoods, sequoias, beaches, cliffs, year-round blooming plants), there's nowhere else like it. Then there's its progressive, forward-thinking social and political climate, its outstanding university systems, its place as the center of technological innovation...and its amazing weather!

Bottom line is no one is really safe when it comes to mother nature.

I totally agree. When I lived in Florida, I experienced a hurricane. In Dallas, more tornadoes than I can even recall. In Albuquerque, snow and ice and very cold temperatures--although that was actually worse in Dallas. No one in the US is completely safe from natural disasters, whether they're earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, snowstorms, death-inducing low- or high-temperatures, wildfires, etc. But having experienced all of those, I'm still 100% happy to be back home in sunny, beautiful SoCal.

 

[Dannydet]

I guess I just feel so sad for the people that were effected by those tornadoes, the destruction, the loss of life.
I'm watching CNN and it looks like a war zone.

 

[rootabaga]

From an article in the WSJ:

“In all, the National Weather Service on Friday received reports of 37 tornadoes across Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee. Though it may take several more days before scientists can officially assign severity rankings to the tornadoes, they said debris might have been hurled as high as 30,000 feet into the air, the cruising altitude of many passenger jets.

One tornado in the cluster plowed a path of devastation up to 250 miles long, according to initial reports. If those are confirmed, scientists said, it may break a record for the longest tornado track set in 1925, when a single tornado traveled 219 miles across portions of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.”

It’s hard to fathom. Period.

 

[Dngrsone]

Because California's pros by far outweigh its cons, including the occasional earthquake. Keeping in mind that I've lived in four states--spanning the entire country--and have visited approximately 20 others, I never saw any place that could compare, overall, with California, and all I wanted to do was move back home. From "California doubles" (skiing or snowboarding up in the mountains, then surfing at the beach, all in the same day) to the spectacular views (mountains, canyons, redwoods, sequoias, beaches, cliffs, year-round blooming plants), there's nowhere else like it. Then there's its progressive, forward-thinking social and political climate, its outstanding university systems, its place as the center of technological innovation...and its amazing weather!


I totally agree. When I lived in Florida, I experienced a hurricane. In Dallas, more tornadoes than I can even recall. In Albuquerque, snow and ice and very cold temperatures--although that was actually worse in Dallas. No one in the US is completely safe from natural disasters, whether they're earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, snowstorms, death-inducing low- or high-temperatures, wildfires, etc. But having experienced all of those, I'm still 100% happy to be back home in sunny, beautiful SoCal.

I can concur: I grew up in Florida (before Florida Man was a thing... I do not want to go back there now), and while it was quite nice--moderate temps all year long (for my own sense of moderate, I suppose), nice warm ocean to swim in (Gulf side) and all, there was a plentitude of disasters to weather, if you will: the hurricanes and tornadoes every few years, sinkholes apropos of nothing, alligators in the back yard, snakes, palmetto bugs, lizards and tree frogs all over the damn place, opossums in your engine compartment. Floridians are scared sh*tless of earthquakes, BTW, about as much as Californians are frightened by the thought of hurricanes.

Having lived in various desert locales of California (and San Diego for a few years), I do very much like the terrain: mountains are very nice, and tidepools are something we really didn't have back in the Sunshine State, though I miss the reefs of the Keys. Temps on the coast are moderate (depending on one's sense of moderate), though inland, there is a temp swing of up to 40 degrees between day and night (as opposed to five degrees in my home town of St. Petersburg) Earthquakes can be devastating, but usually only for very small spots, otherwise, it can be entertaining, though not an excuse to throw a party like we did when threatened with a hurricane hovering off the coast. Wildfires are more of a danger, and affects everyone's health for miles around. We have black widows, snakes and the occasional coyote or mountain lion hanging around, still less dangerous than amorous alligators in the backyard swimming pool.

My biggest issue with California is cost of living. Out on the coast, one needs to by making well into six figures to own a home, and this blue-collar worker just can't make that (and still have time to enjoy any of it). The politics inland is as red as the coast is blue, so you can imagine how entertaining that can be, but I imagine that is a problem all over the country at this point in time.

Let's see, I've spent significant time in Connecticut, Virginia, Tennessee, the aforementioned Florida and California... I've endured several hurricanes, been in close proximity to a few tornadoes, dodged more than a few lightning strikes. Nor'easters, snowstorms, wildfires, earthquakes, race riots, car crashes, Covid-19--been there, done that. If only my spouse would trip over a winning lottery ticket so I could afford to retire earlier than 78, and maybe have a nice house instead a veritable hovel, I'd be content.

 

[MoodyBlues]

I guess I just feel so sad for the people that were effected by those tornadoes, the destruction, the loss of life.
I'm watching CNN and it looks like a war zone.

I know. I understand.

For me, having lived where tornadoes were a normal part of life half of each year, I've become somewhat numb to them. I mean, in Dallas, over time, I went from being terrified when we were alerted to a tornado to YELLING at the TV to get the BLANK back to the show I was watching! What a transformation. They'd break in--and stay broken in--for hours and hours, with the radar thing sweeping in circles, showing the SAME THING over and over again. And I'm sitting there like, I GET IT, NOW PUT THE SHOW BACK ON!!! I used to get so agitated because 90% of the time there was no actual danger; they could've easily used a bottom-of-the-screen crawl instead, but, no, they didn't.

Then, in the days following an actual tornado (or other really bad storm, like hail storms with softball-sized hail and the damage it caused), all I'd see on TV and newspapers and online were pictures like you're talking about, where it looked like a war zone. Kind of like a Home Depot store that had been blown apart....but actually, all those 2x4 boards and bricks had been part of a house.

I'm not immune to it by any means, but living in the middle of it for so long definitely CHANGED me.

 

[MoodyBlues]

I can concur: I grew up in Florida (before Florida Man was a thing... I do not want to go back there now), and while it was quite nice--moderate temps all year long (for my own sense of moderate, I suppose), nice warm ocean to swim in (Gulf side) and all, there was a plentitude of disasters to weather, if you will: the hurricanes and tornadoes every few years, sinkholes apropos of nothing, alligators in the back yard, snakes, palmetto bugs, lizards and tree frogs all over the damn place, opossums in your engine compartment. Floridians are scared sh*tless of earthquakes, BTW, about as much as Californians are frightened by the thought of hurricanes.

Great description!! I'm VERY familiar with St Pete, BTW, as my husband's family lived in the Clearwater/Tampa/St Pete area for many decades. When we first moved to Florida (from California, where we met), we rented a little duplex in Dunedin, and frequently went to the beach, crossing the Courtney Campbell Causeway to visit my in-laws. I've written about this before, but we had to go to MacDill AFB frequently (he was still in the USAF), and oh my goodness the smell in Old Tampa Bay!!!!! It was like nothing I've ever smelled before, nor ever want to again.

As for the palmetto bugs.... Our close friend (who was new to me at the time) and AF buddy gave me a primer on Florida bugs. He told me there were roaches the size of Volkswagens....that flew....and could get into your refrigerator even when it was sealed tightly shut. This California girl--and I do mean girl (17)--had never seen anything like that. In fact, I'd never seen a roach in my whole life. He said they were really called palmetto bugs, but they were just roaches. For as long as we lived there, I'd gingerly, slowly open the refrigerator door expecting to see giant roaches inside. (I never did.) But I did see plenty of Volkswagen-sized roaches!!

They have them in Dallas, too. One of them flew at me in hit my forehead one night. I'll never forget that if I live to be a million....

Yes, the cost of housing in California is outrageous, and frankly I'm shocked that the pandemic had no negative effect on it AT ALL. Here in Arcadia, my month-over-month change is the same as before, approximately 5% increase every month. I was sure the pandemic would send people fleeing and housing prices would plummet, but the reverse happened. The housing market is tight--in my neighborhood, houses generally sell within 2-3 days of listing, and ALWAYS over asking price. And we're talking hundreds of thousands of dollars over asking. I think I posted a real estate ad lately that showed one house selling for $650,000 over asking--that's normal. If a global pandemic that shut down the whole world had no negative effect on housing prices here....I don't know what will.

 

[Dngrsone]

Yes, the cost of housing in California is outrageous, and frankly I'm shocked that the pandemic had no negative effect on it AT ALL. Here in Arcadia, my month-over-month change is the same as before, approximately 5% increase every month. I was sure the pandemic would send people fleeing and housing prices would plummet, but the reverse happened. The housing market is tight--in my neighborhood, houses generally sell within 2-3 days of listing, and ALWAYS over asking price. And we're talking hundreds of thousands of dollars over asking. I think I posted a real estate ad lately that showed one house selling for $650,000 over asking--that's normal. If a global pandemic that shut down the whole world had no negative effect on housing prices here....I don't know what will.

I know, right? I was hoping for the same thing... I might be able to afford something in the $125k range, but that is less than half the median price here in the north county, and it's been going steadily up since the pandemic began. I don't get it.

Actually, I think I do: the last administration was very good to the military-industrial complex, and the contracts are pouring in up here in rocket-land. Unfortunately, I am not a fancy degree holder, so me and my ilk are left in the corners, sweeping up their messes.

A palmetto bug flying straight into your face is a definite PTSD inducing event (been there, done that, as well as waking up to one crawling on one's body *shudder*)

I lived for a few years just north of MacDill AFB, only a block away from the GE plant on the east Bay... my dad was retired and the Commissary was our grocery store, even when we moved across to Pinellas Park. I doubt I'd recognize any of that area now... it's been more than a couple decades, hah.

Back on topic, when I moved to that house in south Tampa, the area had just been hit by a tornado that destroyed an elementary school. The surviving kids had to time-share with the elementary I was going to and all of us were scared out of our wits that every storm contained another tornado.

I was also in town when the Sunshine Skyway collapsed, and a few kids in my high school lost family members in that tragedy. This was in the days before such things as in-school counseling existed...