Perspective

"Matt Nichelson" (whoismatt) 01/23/2017 at 10:18 • Filed to: None

5

21

I’m sitting here this morning still trying to process the events that happened early Saturday morning. Things could have gone a lot different. I’m thankful for us that it didn’t, but I feel horrible for those it affected.

At certain points the tornado was 1/2 mile wide or more. As of right now it is listed as an EF-3, but that could change. A slight jog to the north is all it would have taken. We may have survived. We may not have. That’s a scary thought.

Below is the path the tornado took. If you look closely, there’s a bunch of little roads off of Sandy Run Road to the left just outside the path. That’s the neighborhood I live in. It was that close.

After it passed over the interstate it made a bit of an easterly turn. If it had not done this, it would have gone straight through downtown. Instead, it spares that but badly damage a private university just south of town. Every building on campus had damage.

After that, it moved over into an older neighborhood, destroying many homes and businesses as well as a fire station. All four people that lost their lives from this storm died in this area.

The tornado then moved into the next city, Petal, where it caused immense damage to homes and businesses before finally dissipating. In all, over $200 million dollars in damage is the estimate so far. That may go up along with the tornado rating.

Be thankful today, Oppo. You never know when it’s going to be your time.

Ash78, voting early and often > Matt Nichelson 01/23/2017 at 10:25

0

Dayum...reminds me of the storm that went right through Tuscaloosa a few years ago. Any time a large tornado gets near an urban area, it ’ s especially scary. I ’ m up in Birmingham and that was definitely a couple rounds of bad storms, they were almost like mini - hurricanes on the radar. I ’ m thankful we at least have some better early warning radar these days. It wasn ’ t long ago that tornadoes were truly “ luck of the draw. ” At least now people have 5+ minutes ’ warning in most cases. Still way better than earthquakes and mudslides :D

E90M3 > Ash78, voting early and often 01/23/2017 at 10:31

0

Couple of my friends were at the university at the time of that, and the tornado just missed the house they were renting by a block.

We has a tornado touch down in Roswell back in 2008 and knock some trees and things down, nothing as bad as Tuscaloosa.

Bourbon&JellyBeans > Matt Nichelson 01/23/2017 at 10:32

0

Holy balls. The D.C. area doesn’t get many tornados and when they happen they’re normally EF1-2s. But ten or so years ago now, we had an EF-4 whip through. I was living in Southern Maryland back then and how close that thing got was just crazy. It got so close to our neighborhood that a tree that the tornado yanked out of the ground actually flew through the air and landed on a neighbor’s house. I remember the sky turning a pale green and the sound of that hail. I fucking HATE tornadoes. Some people like them, like my fiancé. I find them absolutely terrifying. I think I’d rather get caught in any other type of natural disaster, hurricane, earthquake, flood, locust swarm, etc.

Ash78, voting early and often > E90M3 01/23/2017 at 10:41

0

I could see the Tuscaloosa storm moving along the horizon, north of Birmingham (where it killed dozens and leveled a whole neighborhood/town). The most damaging part of that storm was that it continued for 100+ miles. Very rare for a tornado.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Ash78, voting early and often 01/23/2017 at 10:43

0

I remember a tornado or a spinning air looking movement going straight up Lakeview(where there is still no lake, please explain this) while my fiancé was in her dorm at Samford 3 or 4 years ago

E90M3 > Ash78, voting early and often 01/23/2017 at 10:43

0

I forgot it made it to the northeast corner of GA. That same year I went with a friend to the tail of the dragon, and you could see where the storm had just devastated parts of 75.

Future next gen S2000 owner > Matt Nichelson 01/23/2017 at 10:46

0

Carpe diem

acarr260 > Matt Nichelson 01/23/2017 at 10:53

0

I have been in a restaurant that was hit by a fairly small tornado. It’s a scary experience, to say the least. Part of the roof disappeared and a water main in the main floor was broken. The cars outside were all trashed because of the large rock that the tornado was throwing all around. The odd yellowish color and extreme calm right before it hit were the most memorable part of it for me.

Ash78, voting early and often > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 01/23/2017 at 11:11

0

You’re thinking of Lakeshore (there is a Lakeview, also. Neither has a lake...). There have definitely been isolated storms that have hit in & around the city. That same year as Tuscaloosa, one very localized one here in Bham tore through a neighborhood in the Highway 280 area. It completely changed the skyline, took down hundreds of trees, but only killed a couple people indirectly (one from electrocution, one from heart attack IIRC)

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Ash78, voting early and often 01/23/2017 at 11:15

0

Yeah it’s early and I always get it confused. I think it was the Highway 280 one that gave Samford a scare.

DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! > Matt Nichelson 01/23/2017 at 11:16

0

Sometimes I’m happy to live in the Southeast because we don’t get a lot of disasters, like volcanoes, earthquakes, avalanches, etc.

But then I remember, we get tornadoes.

Glad to hear you’re safe OP.

Ash78, voting early and often > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 01/23/2017 at 11:19

1

I think you’re right...touchdown was only a couple miles away from there.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Matt Nichelson 01/23/2017 at 13:57

0

Scary shit. Very glad you and yours are okay. I live in Oklahoma, and while I know the actual odds of dying or losing my home to a tornado is very low, the complete unpredictability makes it hard not to worry about what could happen...

Matt Nichelson > Ash78, voting early and often 01/23/2017 at 14:36

0

We were definitely lucky on the warning aspect of it. I got woke up by my phone about 45 minutes prior to it actually passing us. We had plenty of time to prepare and be in a safe spot. Definitely a huge improvement compared to many years ago. The crew at WDAM, the local news station we watch when stuff like this goes down, was on top of their game. My hat is off to them.

Matt Nichelson > Ash78, voting early and often 01/23/2017 at 14:38

0

Indeed it is. Most only last for a few miles before lifting. That one was unbelievably long-tracked.

Matt Nichelson > Bourbon&JellyBeans 01/23/2017 at 14:41

1

I have been fascinated with them since I was around 5 years old when one lifted and went over our house, eventually leading me to take up amateur storm chasing when I have the time to do so. They are something to respect for sure.  

Matt Nichelson > acarr260 01/23/2017 at 14:42

0

The calm before the storm really is true. It’s something you will never forget.

Matt Nichelson > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/23/2017 at 14:48

1

I know you understand what I am on about then. Unpredictability is one of the main issues aside from the tornado itself. A classic example of that is the 2013 El Reno tornado. Unpredictability ended up costing the lives of a truly great storm chaser in Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and his research partner Carl Young, along with almost killing Mike Bettes and his TWC crew.

Matt Nichelson > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 01/23/2017 at 14:49

0

Thanks. Yeah there are some pluses I suppose. We have to deal with tornadoes and hurricanes, though.

Matt Nichelson > Future next gen S2000 owner 01/23/2017 at 14:49

1

Indeed

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Matt Nichelson 01/23/2017 at 17:37

1

Right. The way they can change direction so quickly is terribly frightening if you’re anywhere nearby. We had a friend that was very nearly caught up in a recent tornado near OKC, but made it into the big, heavy walk-in refrigerator at a gas station.