Thanks for the concern my friends, as those hit in the Elk City tornado are being helped by "neighbors" from not only Oklahoma but also residents of Texas and Colorado who have also experienced the devastation of these powerful forces of nature or grew up hearing the stories of past storms, of how people helped each other at these times to recover and rebuild. Without being asked hundreds of individuals have and will continue to assist in the process, trucks and machinery will be donated to the task of hauling off the debris in the city but also cleaning the rubble strung over the 25 mile long path the storm traveled through the country side. Hundreds of volunteers will manually accomplish this, walking the fields and collecting the debris for removal. Tradesmen of all categories, many retired, will assist with the more technical aspects of recovery, donating their time and resources to the monumental task at hand. The areas of greatest destruction were relatively affluent and thus insured, also the state has declared this a natural disaster area and that paves the way for Federal grants for restoring City infrastructure and also low interest individual loans. It's a long drawn out process but this will give some idea of how it begins and the good news is it's all been experienced by other Okies in the past and they got through it with help from others who "run toward the sound of gunfire" and these folks will too!
Many lessons to carry away from tragedy Ludwig and high on that list is to enjoy the sunshine and the rain.
Harold the good people of Ada and Pauls Valley are safe as of this writing, as is my little village which didn't even get a good rain from the near miss. Strange thing about these mezzo cyclonic events is the randomness of destruction created, one house taken completely while the one next door is left relatively intact. Your Mother's reaction to violent storms I believe to be common and, in some, a form of traumatic syndrome often replete with flash backs of varying significance. I am sympathetic to those so afflicted and have known some who have relocated in order to adjust.
Those who tour on two wheels should always watch the weather, the one fatality of this storm was a middle age man fleeing his rural trailer home in a car. He called 911 prior to the storm reaching him so rescue teams might be able to locate him. I'm quite sure he doubted he'd survive.
Steve one of those vehicles never found was a Delorean & one would think the shiny thing could be spotted from afar by a blind man. Chaining the cellar door is accomplished with a length of good grade, heavy log chain, double fastened to large bolts plated into the concrete structure, in case one failed. In the case of my friend one indeed failed and an additional 250 lbs. of young muscle was also applied. His young wife, two children and Mother were reason enough to not let go!
Forecast for next three days includes tornado warnings for this part of the state, climatic conditions are conducive to violent weather events and that's just the reality of living in "tornado alley".
Thanks again for your concern. Please keep each other in prayer. Rick C.