Wednesday, April 27, I went to work as usual. I had to be there at 10 am. I am not one to watch the news very often unless forced or if I know something big has happened to I want to learn more. For that reason, Wednesday morning I headed to work as usual. When I arrived, I learned that several areas in my beloved state had had storms that morning knocking over trees and some areas having tornados. None of this happened in the immediate area that I live in and no one I know was immediately effected by these storms so I didn't think much about it. Just a few hours later, some of my coworkers began getting phone calls and texts about really bad weather coming our way. One girl's mom even called and told us that local meteorologists were saying that we could encounter "perfect storm" scenarios. I have to admit, I was a little nervous but no more than usual. It was when the store began to clear out and one of the clerks who works up front came back to the pharmacy and frantically told us that our store manager wanted everyone to go get their cell phones out of their lockers and put them in our pocket immediately. That's when it sank in because Mike is always pretty strict about his employees carrying our cell phones. I suddenly find myself calling Zach to inquire whether he and my parents know the storms are coming and what their plan is. He says that they are all three headed my way so that he can be with me during the storm and ride back home with me afterwards. This was at 5:30pm. Sam, my pharmacist told me that I could go ahead and leave if I needed or wanted to since I was scheduled to get off at 6 anyways and by the looks of the weather, he didn't think we would have many customers. So, with Zach's consent I ran to my car and set out. Zach and my parents headed back home to wait on me and the storm.
On my way home, there was a constant drizzle of light yet annoying rain. I wasn't the only car on the road but I had a sense of aloneness come over me on my trip. The entire way, about 15 minutes, I didn't really feel any emotion. Only that I HAD to get home before the storm reached me or our house. It was relatively dark the entire way but nothing unusual about an Alabama spring storm. But when I exited I-65 in Fultondale, it was then that I felt a sense of urgency. When I reached the top of the hill at the stop sign, I looked around. You know how they say "the calm before the storm"? Well, that's what it felt like. Everything seems surreal. Almost like a dream. The grass seemed so much greener; almost yellowish. The sky was still stormy but peaceful at the same time. The rain had all but stopped and I felt completely alone. There was not a car in sight at this otherwise busy intersection. Suddenly I knew that I had to get home and quick.
When I got home, I barely took the time to turn the car off and remove the key. I simultaneously grabbed all of my belongings as I threw the car in park and removed the key. I slammed the door behind me and ran inside only to find my husband and parents chilling in the living room watching James Spann preach to us about how we all need to take shelter. I was still in "hurry" mode so I ran to our room, changed clothes, and grabbed something quick to eat. I arrived home at 5:50pm. We watched the weather until about 7 or 7:15 when the power went out. That's when we finally decided that we needed to go to our "safe place" which in my parents house has always been the closet underneath the stairs. It is the center most point of the house on the lowest level. They don't have an underground basement but it has always seemed sufficient. We gathered our dogs, Chief and Morgyn, from the garage and out them into the closet with Zach and I while Mom sat right outside in the hallway and Dad, stubbornly, stood at the front door as if he would be able to stop the storm if it got too close. It seemed like we only sat under the steps for about 10 minutes and then it got really quiet. About that time, dad noticed some of the neighbors heading out of their homes so we all filed out. We stood and talked to the young couple from next door. They had already driven into down town Fultondale to check on a friend. I didn't realize until later after talking to friends and coworkers that the storm actually hit Fultondale not long after I got home. We just didn't lose power or get any effects of it until close to an hour later.
A friend of mine at work said that they got a call from her aunt who lives in Fultondale at about 6:15pm that it had just hit. We didn't lose power until about 7pm. We watched the news the entire time and had no idea it was even close. It is by the grace of God that I didn't get caught up in the storm. If I had left work 5-10 minutes later, I could have sucked up into it. Just thinking about it brings up all sorts of emotions. What if I had never gotten to see my husband again, or my parents, or my neices, or any of my other friends and loved ones?
I am so blessed to have my home, my husband, my loved ones, my church family, etc. So many people have lost everything and all we lost was our power for about 24 hours. Our God is so big and so great. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who was effected by these storms. Stay strong!
