Stormy Weather
Two weeks from today, I'm flying to Colorado for my youngest brother's wedding. He's been dating his bride-to-be for longer than Nancy and I have known each other, so it's a long-awaited event. But after today, there is an element of sadness in the story.
Earlier today, a tornado tore through northern Colorado and southern Wyoming. The city that was hardest hit was Windsor, Colorado, where they live. Their house was one of the homes damaged by the tornado.
Nancy read about the storms earlier today just before we left to catch an early showing of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. We called my parents, who live in Johnstown (about 10 miles south of Windsor) and my brother on the way there, but got no answer from either. Mom called me back later this afternoon to tell me everyone was okay. But the house is a wreck.
The winds tore the east wall off the garage. Their friend's boat, which S and K were keeping in the garage for him, was found after the storm about a block away—upside down. With the garage fully exposed, the winds got inside the house and tore up the kitchen and living room areas. All the windows on the west side of the house were blown out. All the fences in the neighborhood, including the pen on the north side of their house for their dog Kona, were blown out. (Kona is safe too, by the way.)
When my brother got home, not long after the storm had passed, he took a quick look around at the damage. He heard a hissing noise, which he rapidly determined to be coming from the natural gas line to the house. So he got a wrench and went out to the meter to turn it off. When he got there, he discovered that the gas main was broken beneath the meter. In other words, there was no way to turn it off. Shortly thereafter, the emergency services moved in and closed down the neighborhood. They started shutting down gas lines, clearing owned power lines, and searching for people injured in the storm. S thinks they'll probably be allowed back in tomorrow. Until then, they'll probably spend the night in the town's rec center. Ironic, since that's where my future sister-in-law works.
My brother's demeanor in all of this is amazing. As we talked, he laughed several times about everything. I commented on this, and said, in essence, "What else can you do?" I've been considering that. If it were my other brother, he'd probably be angry about what had happened. If it had been me, I'd probably be either panicked or depressed. My brother is an amazing man. I've known this for a long time, but this just proves it even more.
And true to form, he pointed out one piece of good news: "At least the wedding dress hasn't got here yet."
Earlier today, a tornado tore through northern Colorado and southern Wyoming. The city that was hardest hit was Windsor, Colorado, where they live. Their house was one of the homes damaged by the tornado.
Nancy read about the storms earlier today just before we left to catch an early showing of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. We called my parents, who live in Johnstown (about 10 miles south of Windsor) and my brother on the way there, but got no answer from either. Mom called me back later this afternoon to tell me everyone was okay. But the house is a wreck.
The winds tore the east wall off the garage. Their friend's boat, which S and K were keeping in the garage for him, was found after the storm about a block away—upside down. With the garage fully exposed, the winds got inside the house and tore up the kitchen and living room areas. All the windows on the west side of the house were blown out. All the fences in the neighborhood, including the pen on the north side of their house for their dog Kona, were blown out. (Kona is safe too, by the way.)
When my brother got home, not long after the storm had passed, he took a quick look around at the damage. He heard a hissing noise, which he rapidly determined to be coming from the natural gas line to the house. So he got a wrench and went out to the meter to turn it off. When he got there, he discovered that the gas main was broken beneath the meter. In other words, there was no way to turn it off. Shortly thereafter, the emergency services moved in and closed down the neighborhood. They started shutting down gas lines, clearing owned power lines, and searching for people injured in the storm. S thinks they'll probably be allowed back in tomorrow. Until then, they'll probably spend the night in the town's rec center. Ironic, since that's where my future sister-in-law works.
My brother's demeanor in all of this is amazing. As we talked, he laughed several times about everything. I commented on this, and said, in essence, "What else can you do?" I've been considering that. If it were my other brother, he'd probably be angry about what had happened. If it had been me, I'd probably be either panicked or depressed. My brother is an amazing man. I've known this for a long time, but this just proves it even more.
And true to form, he pointed out one piece of good news: "At least the wedding dress hasn't got here yet."
posted by Michael at
9:43 PM
2 Comments:
Since we got off the phone, I've been thinking a lot about both of your brothers. I'm glad S & K, and Kona, are well.
Given my intimate understanding of A's situation and the events leading up to last year, I've been a bit cold about what happened. As I listened to you relate his most recent losses (J and the girls), my heart broke a little bit. Given what he's been through, I suspect he might very well join S and laugh at the prospect of a damaged house.
For the record, I can't imagine you panicking about anything. Although there was that time with the bottle rockets . . .
By
dilliwag, At
May 22, 2008 11:24 PM
I don't think you give yourself enough credit. I saw you in a panic mode situation in November (Laurie) and you kept me calm. You were my rock and strength. I think you have more of the same qualities as S does than you realize. After all, you are the big brother. Where do you think he learned some of them? Love you!
By
Nancy, At
May 26, 2008 2:51 PM
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