My heart goes out to Midwesterners terrorized by tornados. Spring brings nightly fear as massive dark clouds press on the horizon. I grew up in Northwest Ohio, a twister magnet. I remember our two drills at Saint Mary’s Catholic School in Defiance, Ohio.
As the alarm bell clang stern nuns in their black & white robes ushered us, like cattle, to the ancient school’s basement. The tornado drill was simple. Lay low and cover your head from flying debris. With your face pressed against the blue concrete for ten or more minutes, your cheeks resembled a premature case of acne.
The same alarm bell announced the second drill – nuclear attack. It was the Cold War days. Russia and the U.S. aimed missiles at each other. A recent confrontation in Cuba heightened the tension. The nuns were determined to be ready. Lay low; hands over your head, cheeks to the concrete; and kiss your butt good-bye.
Of the two threats the tornados concerned us most. Mushroom clouds were too abstract. One week a twister would tear-up trailer parks in nearby Southern Michigan. A week later silos would be tossed around in Eastern Indiana. It was funnel fever. My Dad, tired of our tears and terror, called us together. Two thirds of Defiance is surrounded by two rivers that merge in the center of town. With a straight face, but no doubt a twinkle in his eye, Dad insisted tornados could not cross waterways. Twisters reflect away from rivers like balls banging off walls. We believed him. The nuns didn’t. The drills continued.
I am not sure how many years I believed in Dad’s tornado theory. Perhaps he wanted us to go on with our lives, not paralyzed by fears. Something to consider as today’s storms and threats continue to surround us.
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That’s exactly the same story I heard from my dad. Because two rivers met, there was no way a tornado could form.
But funnily enough, the house I bought and lived in for 16 years in Seattle was hit by a tornado during the World’s Fair here in 1962, Tornados are a rarity in Seattle, but one was right on top of my house back then.