Wednesday, April 30, 2008

You never expect the Spanish Inquisition . . .

. . . or a tornado in Hampton Roads.

After all, this is hurricane country, not tornado central. We moved from tornado central (aka the United States' Great Plains) six years ago. We expected to see the odd hurricane or two, but while we were on holiday in Natchez, Mississippi, an errant EF-3 twister struck nearby Suffolk. This photo shows the formed-up funnel cloud that we former flatlanders are so familiar with.

Photos of some of the damage are here. Fortunately, injuries were few, and not too serious. There were no recorded deaths, but properdy damage is significant. Estimates range from $20-40 million.

I can't post actual photos because all of the local media use Adobe Flash to keep me from pirating their stuff. Bastages . . .

2 comments:

gemmak said...

Lol...you could always do a 'print screen' to circumnavigate the bastages! ;o)

Perhaps I shouldn't say this because I know the destruction is bad but none-the-less I would love to see this for real someday.

Jack said...

You're not alone. People chase these things all the time. This guy does it professionally, and actually makes a living at it.
http://www.extremeinstability.com/about.htm

I have seen two up close and personal. It is impossible to describe the experience. The sound is like a jet plane flying through your house . . . dropping the occasional explosive devise.