It's That Time of Year Again... Tornado Season

Though it is easy to welcome the warmer weather and longer days that spring brings along with it, there are certain aspects of spring that make some grow weary.  For anyone living within the central United States, with spring comes tornado season.  Tornado watches and warnings are so frequent throughout Tornado Alley at this time that people sometimes begin to disregard alerts, thinking it is simply yet another false-alarm.  For anyone that has been through a tornado, however, they know not to joke around with Mother Nature.

It is ironic that, in the midst of such destruction,
this rainbow on the day following the Andover tornados
manages to show off the beauty present in nature.
(Courtesy of Shonna Black)

Shonna Black, the mother of current AU freshman Olivia Black, knows first-hand about the dangers that tornadoes have to offer.  On April 26, 1991, Shonna was living in Andover, KS with her then-husband and young son, Harrison.  It was just another spring evening coming home to cook dinner after work until, at approximately 5:00 p.m., when her world literally got turned upside down.  An F5 tornado dropped down and tore through Andover, killing 24 people and leaving hundreds injured.  Thankfully, Shonna and her family, including her dog that she made it a priority to rescue, made it out safely.  Unfortunately, their home was not as lucky.  At the time, they were living in a duplex and, after the storm took its toll, the only thing remaining of their home was the retaining wall that separated their living quarters from the neighbors’.  The living room, both bedrooms, and garage were all gone.

A look at Shonna's house
after the tornado swept through.
(Courtesy of Shonna Black)

Thankfully, Shonna and her family were prepared.  In case of any potential storms, they had stored water and blankets in the crawl space under their home.  The small and narrow crawl space was there saving grace: they ended up laying low there while the storm obliterated their home above.  She reflects feeling a sense of stillness in the air during the tornado unlike anything she had ever felt before or after those moments.  Though the loss of their home and belongings was unfortunate, Shonna points out that they were “more concerned about being alive than any destruction that may occur. “  


She goes on to say more about the effects that the experience has left on her life:

Only the retaining wall was in tact
on Shonna's side of their duplex;
her and her family were forced
to move in with her parents.
(Courtesy of Shonna Black)

“I now have much respect for tornadoes and what God can do with wind.  After 20+ years, this time of the year (tornado season) still gets to me.  I get antsy when the weather starts to act up.  I  do not joke around with weather alerts; I’m not a storm chaser, I cooperate, go straight to the basement, and pray for our safety.”

In talking about tornado season, it would be unfit not to mention the upcoming 1 year anniversary since the Joplin tornado that occurred on May 22 of last year.  This EF 5 tornado claimed 161 lives, ranking as the seventh most deadly tornado recorded in United States history. 

Like Shonna, Max Mammele, a freshman theatre major at Avila, is a tornado survivor.  Max hails from Joplin and was in the heart of the storm last May.  As he was driving home from his high school graduation, Max got caught in the midst of the tornado.   He tried his best to speed home to safety, but there was torrential rain and the wind was simply too much.  In a frantic and dire situation, his best option was to park under an overpass to take cover.  Still in his graduation gown, Max crouched down with his hands over his head and waited.  He sat in his vehicle as a variety of debris including branches and tar continually crashed into and embedded itself in the body and windshield of his 1989 Jaguar.  As he explains, minutes felt like hours as he waited.  Finally, conditions lightened, and Max was lucky to be alive.  

Claiming 161 deaths, the tornado in Joplin, Missouri
was the 7th most deadly
tornado recorded in United States history.
(Courtesy of Business Insider)

Unfortunately, one of his classmates whom he had just graduated with had not been so lucky.  Will Norton, a Joplin senior, had been driving home from graduation in his H3 Hummer with his father when suddenly a gust of wind sucked him through the sunroof of his vehicle.  His father tried to hold him down, tearing his bicep and breaking bones within his arms in the process (he broke 15 bones throughout his body altogether), but his efforts came up short.  

Frankly, Max is very fortunate to have survived the frightening conditions that he did.  The experience is one that has made an impact on his life forever; he realizes now how quickly life can be stripped from us and strives to live each day to the fullest. 

The experiences of Shonna Black and Max Mammele are very humbling stories indeed.  Spawned from powerful thunderstorms, tornadoes can cause fatalities and devastate a neighborhood in seconds.  Next time tornado alerts flash across the television screen, think twice about blowing them off.