Tornado touches down

It was a strange feeling, like the one you get when you know something just isn't right. That feeling hit Wednesday night as Bryan & I went to his baseball game in Gresham. The clouds were funny starting to move in directions clouds shouldn't. They got two innings in before the game was called. We made it home between rain showers and I changed right away into jeans and my fire dept. t-shirt. I told the kids to get a blanket ready for the basement. At first Mike thought I was over reacting but when they toned us out for storm spotting I told him to listen for the phone and I would call if anything was going to happen.

Mark Doehling and I went 2 miles south of Surprise and experienced the normal storm stuff, rain, high winds and hail. Well we also experienced clouds that just "didn't look right". We repositioned the Surprise 4x4 numerous times and when the hail started to come down we moved inside the truck. Yep best way to look at the clouds is to stand outside.

We were facing north on the 12e Spur when my ears started to pop. I rolled down the drivers side window to see the lines of a rotating tornado. Yep it had dropped out of the sky next to Mark & I. Major pucker factor there!! He called it in to the Sheriff's office and I attempted to drive. After the tornado moved south towards Ulysses we had hail as big as tennis balls. A lot of dents in the 4x4. One of our ambulances lost a window.

Mike called a short time later to say that there was broken windows in the house and some downed trees. As of this writing we are STILL waiting to hear from our insurance guy. I am about to call again to see if he got my message.

Mark & I spent most of the night helping Ulysses Fire Department search house to house for damge. There were down power lines, pivots and just all around damage. http://www.kolnkgin.com/home/headlines/19581179.html

Mike took the kids to Gina's Wednesday night. THANK YOU GINA. As we didn't have electricity and were worried about them being in the house. It is now Friday morning and they are still there.

Yesterday we worried about the water rising from the Big Blue River and spent the aftertnoon into evening sandbagging the Eagles Nest in Surprise.

Well Mike just came back in and we are going to see if the river has gone down. We have the creek running pretty hard through out pasture.

Yep...will post pictures later. The tool I need to do that is in my office in Columbus.

We are safe but now the clean-up begins. Its amazing how a community comes together like this one has. Gives me goose bumps.

Sue...