As storm clouds rush in...

What would make you scare this little one?

Nice quiet dinner with our girls, Grampa and I haven't had many chances for that since they moved to the west side of St. L. The grand baby picked DQ, not a bad choice at all. The poor kid behind the counter was dumb as a box of rocks, but at least he was trying... no gravy is not a salad dressing sweetie...

Clouds start rolling in, alerts are going off on cell phones and radio's.  When the manager, all of about 25, comes out to the dining area and tells us "there is a tornado siren going off, we are all going in the freezer, you need to go home now"... what???  Just as my brain is registering the sheer stupidity of his statement he quickly amends it with "well you could join us if you want to, but you should really go home and be safe".  Okay... on what planet do you come into a dining room of restaurant with kids and make that kind of announcement? And second it's not safe for you but you want all of your customers to go outside and drive somewhere?

I was simply amazed that the statement was made, we hurry to clean up our table as we are being shepherded out the door (yes we evidently were raised to clean up after ourselves - regardless).  Just as we are near the door the sirens start going off again and one of the other customers makes the announcement  about there are tornado's on the ground, she just saw it on her phone.

Seriously people, do we have no filters anymore?

Casually eating their ice cream, they are making these announcements with two young children present. 
My little grand daughter was scared, she is wise beyond her years. The girls are getting very agitated, news has had tornado coverage non-stop for weeks.  They know what a tornado can do, they do drills at school. And we are being shepherded out into pouring rain and high winds with sirens blaring so the staff can go get in the freezer?

I question the kind of training these young people receive when they are promoted beyond their skills and judgement abilities because no one else wants to work the night shift. Would it not have made more sense to tell everyone to please come into the secure area with you?  Maybe I am over thinking this, I assure you I would have had every person in my building in a safe and secure area until the sirens stopped.  I would not have told them to leave so I could insure the staff was safe.  You don't want folks in your freezer? Okay, makes sense to me also... have a secure alternate area planned for just those kinds of emergencies. Don't tell folks to go get in their cars and leave!

I haven't turned on the news yet today, I am simply not there yet.  Last night before going to bed I saw bits on the news, it didn't look pretty in our little place on this planet.  Looks like it was all north and west last night.  Looks like Oklahoma got smashed again.  The weather cycle has been insane this year.

As daylight is breaking through the darkness, I am sure many folks that had a sleepless night are staggering outside to look at potential damage, I did.  Hubby's phone was ringing all night to let know of the dangers.  Where we live we are just past the top of the bluff's.  Storms tend to bounce over us.  They have hit here, a few years back a tornado ripped through town just a mile from our home.  It was unusual, a rare occurrence.  Usually they bounce right over us and land in the next town up.

I am hoping that few lost their homes, I know there were vehicles moved and stacked by the sheer force of the winds (and the guy at DQ wanted us to leave and drive?) I am praying that all losses were simply material and not lives.  Hopefully no people or pets died last night as a result.

The rain hasn't stopped, hopefully the flooding will be minor, although that isn't looking promising.  We are water logged, the whole area is.  Last year it was so dry there were deep cracks.  Nature knows how to balance things, we just need to be ready to go with it and not try to fight it, we won't win.

I am so proud of the man on tv right now, he survived the storm in his basement, the house disappeared over him.  He isn't raging at nature, demanding help from everyone.  He is grateful to be alive, glad someone found his wallet and thanked the neighbor that gave him clothes to wear today.  He has insurance, he knows it will take time, but he is simply grateful.  Feeling that it was destiny and he is already taking the next steps.  So proud of his words and demeanor. The strength of people amazes me!!

Young manager at DQ, just a simple note, do not send your customers out into a storm, offer them shelter with you.  Protect others, that is simple common sense.  To his manager, maybe a bit more training on emergency procedures is in  order....