cybormoron Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 A tornado ripped through my local area today and I was in it (almost) but I'm ok. I was driving home from work with no choice but to keep driving. When the vicious hail started I thought my windsheild was a goner. I've seen hail before and thought it was just cute little pellets of ice but this was vicious. The news said it was about a quarter inch diameter but I think it was bigger. I finally decided to stop behind a brick bank building and wait it out. All the overpasses were already full. It never occured to me turn the radio on, lol. When I finally got home to my computer to view the news I realized I was kind of lucky. I was several miles away from the actual touchdown. I think this is the worst storm I've ever been in. These things are pretty scary. Local news pictures http://www.annarbor.com/news/tornado-warni...tenaw-county-1/ http://www.annarbor.com/news/video-of-a-fu...ed-near-dexter/ http://www.annarbor.com/news/dexter/images...-around-dexter/ http://www.annarbor.com/news/video-report-...-massive-trees/ http://www.annarbor.com/news/dexter/dexter...rnado-reaction/ http://www.annarbor.com/news/flooded-apart...d-in-ann-arbor/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Wow, cybormoron! Thankfully you were OK!! AJC Tornado Dexter Wasn't able to watch the videos, but there was a page with some photos listed in the other stories on annarbor.com where I could see some of what happened. And the stories themselves were something too! You were a very lucky guy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlim Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 We're glad you are alive to relate the story. As I was reading, earlier this morning, it seems like there might not have been any fatalities. That's amazing when you view the destruction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Yes, that is amazing Liz! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Mother Nature is NOT happy. Glad you and yours are OK, Steve! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Wow, that is something. I am glad you and your family are safe. Mother Nature can be a pain when she wants to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuzzButt Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 It's kind of odd. At 4:30 that afternoon my Mom called me all out of panic. Asked me where I was. I told her standing in my garage in Waterford why? She then said there was an extremely strong storm in Dexter and you work near there right? I told her yes I was actually at a store not far from there earlier that afternoon, Jackson & Zeeb, but I was home now and going to get my boys at daycare. As soon as I got home I flipped the TV on and watched the news with my boys. There is nothing that can describe in words what you see after a tornado comes thru. I still see the pieces left after a tornado in Dundee back on June 6, 2010. Everyone should see what a real storm is capable of at least once in their lives in person. It will make you feel small in a hurry. It's amazing that this one was all property damage. No one was seriously hurt and there were no fatalities. What I will say after seeing the damage that was done to all those homes. About $500 in extra building materials would have saved most of those houses from the serious damage they sustained. Our building codes and joke inspections need to be changed. It isn't a huge expense to put in wind-proofing and use better techniques for bracing. Glad you survived the hail Steve. That stuff is vicious to a moving car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybormoron Posted March 31, 2012 Author Share Posted March 31, 2012 (edited) I never heard the warning sirens nor did I think to turn the radio on. The area did seem quite deserted during rush hour and made me wonder what happened. It never occured to me that IT WAS HAPPENING, not did happen, duh. That hail was as big as marbles. Actually, I knew I was caught in it and was hoping the worst was over. Apparently it calmed down by the time it reached me. The only fatality I read about was someone's pet dog. They had put the dog in its cage in the basement but it drowned in the after flooding. here's a video from some clowns. http://www.damnarbor.com/2012/03/dexter-tornado.html edit by me; I know some of the local building codes require tornado straps but I agree, they are wholly ineffective. Those studwalls are merely covered with lightweight, foam sheathing/insulation and a thin veneer layer of vinyl siding. You could practically punch a hole in them with your fist. http://hurricane-man.com/building.html but we will nail up a wall of phoney green two-by-fours, sheathed with waferweld on the outside and dry wall on the inside, then marvel at what a hurricane can do. Edited March 31, 2012 by cybormoron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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