Twister Talk: 15 Tornado FAQs

I've had not one, not two, but three encounters with tornadoes in my lifetime. The first one happened back when I was just a kid in elementary school. I remember being outside, minding my own business, when suddenly, the wind kicked up like crazy. My dad, rushed out and dragged me inside. We watched as a tornado approached our home, luckily ending up in a field behind our house. We learned later that our neighbors all huddled in the ditch at the end of our road.

Then there was the time in Newburgh. I slept through that one like a log. It wasn't until I stumbled out of bed for work that I realized a tornado had decided to make a pit stop in my backyard. Talk about a rude awakening!

But, the most recent one was just a few weeks ago. I woke up bright and early to find out we were under a Tornado Watch. So, being the responsible adult that I am, I checked Facebook for any updates—nothing. Then, out of nowhere, my phone starts buzzing like crazy. I crack open the patio door and hear this crazy loud noise coming from the woods behind our house. That's when I noticed our trusty grill had gone missing. Cue the panic mode: I grabbed the kid, the dog, and high-tailed it to the basement.

Thankfully, it was all over pretty quickly. But when the sun came up, we saw the aftermath. Trees down everywhere, our backyard looking like a scene from a disaster movie, and the destruction stretching across the neighborhood. It was wild. Luckily, nobody got hurt, and our insurance took care of the damage.

Now, tornadoes—they're a weird mix of fascinating and terrifying, don't you think? After that last scare, I had a bunch of questions swirling around in my head. So, naturally, I hit up Google for some answers. And hey, I figured why keep all this newfound knowledge to myself? Sharing is caring, right?