The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
-Psalm 19:1

Do you know that God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash?
-Job 37:15



Thursday, February 07, 2008

Tornado Reports from February 5 & 6, 2008 Outbreak and how you can help...

Well, the number of reported tornadoes from the February 5th, tornado outbreak has climbed to 91. The death toll has risen to 55, the last time I checked. I have heard some fascinating stories of survival, heart wrenching stories of tragedy, and watching some people talk about it this morning, I saw a glimmer of hope. A new day, an appreciation for the lives that were spared, appreciation for the hope offered by strangers as they work to dig through the rubble that remains in the horrific disasterous wake left behind after the rampage of tornadoes tore through the central part of the country. What can we do to help...? Well, while asking myself the same question, I found a few ways to do that. Click on these links to help those impacted by this horrible storm:

Americares US Disaster Relief Fund


American Red Cross Donation Page


CNN Impact Your World site


Charity Navigator, which helps you make well-informed decisions about donating.


These are just a few of the sites where you can go to make donations. This should be a good start for you. My thoughts and prayers remain with those impacted, that they be granted sufficient grace, to allow for peace and hope.

I began to explore some of the preliminary storm reports offered by the National Weather Service Offices in the areas affected. Those reports usually contain a detailed description of the event, including pictures.

Preliminary Storm Reports:
**Memphis, TN Storm Damage Survey Report
Pictures
**Nashville, TN Public Information Statement
Pictures
**Little Rock, AR Storm Damage Report
Public Information Statement
Pictures
**Huntsville, AL Storm Survey Report
Pictures of Lawrence/Morgan County, AL Damage
Pictures of Jackson County, AL Tornado Damage
**Birmingham, AL Prelimnary Storm Reports
Public Information Statement
Pictures
**Louisville, KY Storm Reports
Comprehensive Kentucky Story
**Paducah, KY Report with Pictures
**Jackson, MS Preliminary Storm Reports

Voiceless it cries,
wingless flutters,
toothless bites,
mouthless mutters.
... the Wind...
~J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hobbit
This post has been alive with comments about the Mountain View tornado with updates... Mountain View Post. Please visit it for updates.

That's it for today,
~Dewdrop

8 comments:

  1. WOW! 91!? I saw coverage of the devastation on the news. I was afraid some of it was headed your way. Did you get any chasing action from this?

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  2. I got NOTHING... in fact, not even .01" of rain fell, just a few drops in my rain gauge.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's still unreal. As soon as I get more pictures from the family, I'll send them your way.

    Based on the storm reports and surveys done (so far), here's a break down (I'm pretty sure I didn't couple count):

    EF0- 2
    EF1- 7
    EF2-6
    EF3- 8
    EF4- 2

    Still waiting on full reports from Nashville, and a few surveys from Little Rock.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks so much for the break down, Melissa, and for the pics from your brother. I didn't end up posting them since I had all this other stuff going on today. I appreciate you sharing them with me.

    Can you believe, I make it a point to get my CoCoRaHS approved rain gauge (thank you, btw) up before the "big event", and I end up getting less then .01" of rain?! There were two little drops rolling around inside the tube. Is that insane, or what?! The Dewvoid stinks!

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  5. That is a lot of significant (EF2 or greater tornadoes) for one outbreak.

    I am hearing a lot of stories from co-workers about the Lawrence County, AL EF3...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Largely significant! 2 EF4s and 8 EF3s?! Definitely one for the weather history books.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The NWS Huntsville has incresed the Lawrence/Morgan, AL tornado to EF4. I cannot argue. It leveled a 2400 sq ft brick house. Today was a day of amazing stories from Lawrence County which I have posted and will continue to update on my blog.

    Sadly, a 73 year old lady who attends church with a friend of mine passed away last night for the fourth fatality in Lawrence and the 5th (and hopefully last) in Alabama.

    They had kept her on life support, knowing she would pass, so that her son could arrive from Michigan to visit her one last time. I was told that her house basically exploded and she was blown out of it.

    For all the interest we wx geeks have in severe wx, the reality is lives are changed forever as a result. I appreciate the fact that you and the rest of our team keep that in the forefront of our minds when we talk about this stuff.

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  8. So, that is 3 EF4s?! That's amazing. What a powerful system! I am still amazed at the accuracy of the SPCs forecast. The warnings were outstanding, and I am certain saved so many lives. People were well-informed about the happenings. As tragic as it was, I feel strongly that it could have been even worse if it weren't for excellent forecasting by the SPC and the local Weather Service offices, fast reports by storm spotters/storm chasers and local law enforcement and citizens.

    That is so sad to hear about the lady from your friend's church. I can't imagine being in a house when it virtually explodes... imagine the pressure, the terror. The death toll continues to rise, I suppose. How horrible! So many lives, forever changed.

    As much as I appreciate the beauty of these storms, I respect them for their powerful capacity for destruction. I don't wish for these horrible storms. My heart aches for those who lost lives, family members, friends, neighbors, property, livelihoods... no... I don't wish for these storms. I want to understand them. I want to help save lives. The storms will occur, regardless.

    ReplyDelete

Dew comment, please...