It was very interesting carrying mail while the tornado sirens were going off. There were 12 sirens all in all. We didn't have a touch down but we did receive a very large, scary storm. It was bad enough that several of our carriers went back to the office and climbed into the basement.
There were several customers that were out of their homes watching the skies as the sirens went off. It was an eerie feeling, knowing there was a tornado touch down somewhere and not knowing if it was going to pop into our skies at any moment. I found myself looking at peoples homes differently than I ever had before. I was looking for occupancy first, and then to see if they had basement windows. I wanted to be sure I had an escape route in case a tornado suddenly appeared on the horizon. I had several customers offer their homes and I said thank you and I might take them up on that offer if I had to run somewhere.
As it went down, the sky turned very dark and the rain started slowly. The wind was an issue all day so that wasn't a strong indicator to go by. I called my coworker as I knew she was out on the street without a vehicle. She ended up being at the post office already, thankfully. By the time I ran up on to our dock the rain was pouring hard and at an angle. We watched briefly as things were swirling all around and then the boss said it was time to get downstairs. We went down half joking but scared all of our families were ok. Some of our kids were at school in the great hands of teachers and the older ones were at home, hopefully seeking shelter.
After it was all over, the stories started to emerge about the damage and how lucky we were.
Some remembered the Van Wert and Palm Sunday tornados in which sadly, several people lost their lives.
It was a first for me to carry in such crazy circumstances and hopefully the last! The kids came away with stories to remember forever and hopefully it will also make them appreciate how lucky we all were.
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