Northern Ohio Tornado: View from the Anti-Victim

I had just left from my best friend's apartment after watching the first Sex in the City movie for the second time in two days. In Bowling Green, there is not much to do when there isn't a major event going on, so most students tend to make a visit to Walmart. That is exactly what I did that night. Walking to my car, I felt a strong breeze brush past me. The air was warm and full of life. It was around 12:30 and I was on my way to "Wally World" as we sometimes like to call it. Luckily, it was open 24 hours a day, every single day.

As I was driving down the twisting backroads to dodge the invisible traffic on the main streets, I noticed several flashes in the sky. The odd thing about the flashes was that there was no evidence of audible accompaniment. There were just occasional bursts of silent light that seemed distant but close enough.

After semi-pointless strolls down addicting corporate aisles, I returned to my vehicle which was lightly covered in precipitation. It wasn't much but I could tell something was coming. It was too quiet; I didn't trust it. I have resided in Bowling Green for the past four years, and it is commonly know that our flat-landed residence can be prone to tornadoes and many storms. Knowing this, I decided to call it a night, and escape into a world of dreams.

Lost in my land of dreams, I heard a siren. I thought I was dreaming but, as the familiar pitch crescendoed, I found myself immediately awake and extremely confused. I live with my cousin, who was currently out of town for a catering gig. This left me alone in my apartment, surrounded by the cries of the city siren preparing us for possible danger. It was like a tribal call warning us of an attack, an intruder with the enemy being the destructible forces of Mother Nature.

I sat and opened my window to get a better look outside. I saw those silent flashes still popping in and out of the night sky. But now it was worse. They seemed to be getting closer, brighter and bigger. I watched as the wind swept up various items scattered on the street and in the front yards of the apartments mostly filled with students here for the summer. The siren was frightening. It was the only thing I could hear, because the town seemed deathly quiet. I began to think of a plan. Where would I go? What would I bring? Who would I call? I began to send out texts to some of my friends to connect myself back into the outside world. No responses. I felt alone, and scared. After gazing out of the window for what seemed to be hours, I decided to just lie down and hope for the best. There was nothing I could do. Who knows how long it could have lasted. I just wished I could get through a night of sleep.

The next morning, I looked outside and my street was untouched. But I later found out that just several miles out, the turnpike had been graced by the presence of the mighty tornado. This was the road I planned to take that night to visit a friend. Luckily, he canceled and spared me what could have been a deadly disaster. I also found out that there were many houses that were destroyed and several deaths because of the storm. It is sad to know natural disasters can come at anytime and cannot be controlled. The most we can do is be prepared for anything and hope for the best.