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 . . .