I was given the ultimate challenge last Thursday: get my kids to safe ground... and keep my cool. Well I managed to get them to safety, but I could not keep my cool.
Around 4:00 that afternoon, major storms were moving into the area. We had already endured several days of rain and the streets were flooding, but the intensity of the storms was growing. Tornadoes were coming. It was getting nasty. I scrambled at the office to make an announcement about evening classes being cancelled and then ran out the door to pick up the kids. Unfortunately for all of us, Chris was in Las Vegas all week. I was flying solo. Not good.
It took me TWO hours to get to their school. I had to turn around multiple times because of roads being closed and power lines down. I drove over some sort of lines that were down, but I was desperate to get to the kids. I yelled at Sheriff's deputies who were not directing traffic fast enough. I sat at one intersection for 15 minutes and cried and screamed at the deputy because he refused to let my lane turn left - which was my LAST resort to getting to my kids.
When I pulled into daycare, you could see that one of the tornadoes had hit the daycare owner's house next door. Kennedy and Brady were panicked, but relieved to see me. I was so happy to see their sweet faces. I threw them in the car and took off toward the house. Through this ordeal, Susie and I had been calling (when we could get a cell phone signal) and texting each other with updates on how to get home, where the storms were moving, and trying to decide where to meet since I was alone with the kids. We couldn't get to our house because of trees collapsed in the streets.
At this point, Brady is screaming, Kennedy is starting to get worried again... and I just lost it. I screamed and cried and fortunately for me, it was enough to quiet the kids. Ten minutes later, they were sleeping in the back seat and I could concentrate on getting us somewhere safe.
We tried going the back way to our neighborhood - traffic was at a standstill. We were headed to Brian and Rebecca's house, but they didn't have power and were headed to Eric's. So I turned around and headed toward Eric's, too. By the time I got to his neighborhood, I got word from Susie that the tree had been moved and we could get to our neighborhood. So I turned around again and slowly made my way home. Navigating through all the debris and flooded streets was nerve wracking, but I finally made it to the house. No power.
So I ran in, fumbled through the cabinet to find the flashlights and packed a small bag of diapers, a change of clothes and some food for the kids. I ran back to the car and headed toward Eric's. I wasn't about to stay in my house alone with the kids, no power, no clue what we were in for. The rain kept pouring and by the time I got to Eric's and unloaded the car and kids, we were all soaked.
I wrestled with the kids to change clothes and eat a quick sandwich... then I let my family know that we were okay and staying in a safe place. Then all three of us piled into one bed. NIGHTMARE. Trying to get those kiddos to sleep was impossible. Finally, about 11 pm that night, everyone passed out.... except mom of course. I kept getting kicked in the face, smacked on the back. I'm not sure which was worse - the storm or sleeping in the same bed with my kids!
At this point, Brady is screaming, Kennedy is starting to get worried again... and I just lost it. I screamed and cried and fortunately for me, it was enough to quiet the kids. Ten minutes later, they were sleeping in the back seat and I could concentrate on getting us somewhere safe.
We tried going the back way to our neighborhood - traffic was at a standstill. We were headed to Brian and Rebecca's house, but they didn't have power and were headed to Eric's. So I turned around and headed toward Eric's, too. By the time I got to his neighborhood, I got word from Susie that the tree had been moved and we could get to our neighborhood. So I turned around again and slowly made my way home. Navigating through all the debris and flooded streets was nerve wracking, but I finally made it to the house. No power.
So I ran in, fumbled through the cabinet to find the flashlights and packed a small bag of diapers, a change of clothes and some food for the kids. I ran back to the car and headed toward Eric's. I wasn't about to stay in my house alone with the kids, no power, no clue what we were in for. The rain kept pouring and by the time I got to Eric's and unloaded the car and kids, we were all soaked.
I wrestled with the kids to change clothes and eat a quick sandwich... then I let my family know that we were okay and staying in a safe place. Then all three of us piled into one bed. NIGHTMARE. Trying to get those kiddos to sleep was impossible. Finally, about 11 pm that night, everyone passed out.... except mom of course. I kept getting kicked in the face, smacked on the back. I'm not sure which was worse - the storm or sleeping in the same bed with my kids!
The next morning.... THIS is what we all saw. Tornado and storm damage. We were extremely lucky. The tornado narrowly missed my kids' daycare and our neighborhood.
My parents' home is in south Shreveport, so going to their house that night would have been impossible - so we were extremely appreciative to our other family.... the Stinsons and Eric. I am truly blessed to have such amazing people in my life. Throughout the entire ordeal - we texted each other, called each other, made sure that we were all meeting in one safe place. None of us suffered any damage to our homes and all of us were unharmed.
No comments:
Post a Comment