We arrived in the Picher, OK area around 3PM local time today and as we expected, were not allowed to get close to the actual downtown area. We decided to park nearby and walk down some railroad tracks a few miles from the town. We found an area where it appeared a second or secondary touchdown had taken place. Unfortunately one house took a direct hit and was a total loss and at least one other house was heavily damaged. Neither of us had ever seen tornado damage in person, and it was a truly unsettling sight. The randomness of a tornado is cruel and unjust. Just 200 yards away from the house that was a total loss, an elementary school was virtually unharmed. We were amazed at the apparent force of the tornado which shredded trees and left branches stuck deep in the ground like darts. It really makes you respect the power these tornadoes have. We're attaching a few of the pictures we took. We'll make more available later.
The general plan for tomorrow (Monday) is to wait and see if things in south Texas become promising enough to make us want to head that way. Initially, it looks like a strong cap will be in place despite some decent instability. Because of this it seems most likely that if storms break out, it won't be until around sunset so our plan will be to take the morning to figure out if we should head that way.
1 comment:
wow. no words for this. just sad.
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