We have had a pretty emotional week. We have had crazy bad weather this week and several funnel clouds come across our house. On Monday, April 9th ,we had a huge hail storm and a funnel cloud come over and it was the anniversary of the deadliest tornado that has ever hit Oklahoma and it hit Woodward on April 9, 1947. Everyone was on pins and needles that day.........This date is on a lot of things in this town and no one will ever forget it. It killed 107 people and wiped out most of the city.
This is what came over our house around 5:00 Saturday afternoon. It touched down about a mile south of us and only stayed on the ground a few seconds. The only damage was a barn was wiped out an it had thrown an old oil tank about 800 yards. It went back up before it reached us.
This is what hit Woodward at 12:17 a.m on 4.15.2012............
The only thing standing in the above pic is part of a kitchen. A refrigerator and part of an oven and a shelf. In between the shelf is sitting a coffee pot, untouched, no damage just sitting nicely in between those shelves.......
The whole path of the tornado looks like this..........
It was about an 8 mile stretch through Woodward.
There used to be a 3 story house beside this one....................
We were under a High Threat all day so we hunkered down at the lodge and put Jones to bed in the basement while we watched the weather all night..........The tornado sirens weren't working because they had been hit by lightning during the storm that had hit earlier that day. Weatherman had warned everyone of this at the 10:00 news and warned everyone that there was one more line of storms coming through about 11:15 and that we should be in the clear. That they probably wouldn't get severe until after they passed us. Most of Woodward went to bed.........The storms slowed way down after they formed and didn't get to us till about 12:00. When the weatherman first spotted the tornado he was telling everyone again that the sirens in Woodward weren't working and to text or call everyone we knew to wake them up and tell them to take shelter immediately. Cody and I started texting everyone we knew.........The only thing we knew was it was 12:12, it was headed towards the West side of town and that it would probably be in Woodward by 12:23 by the weatherman time. It hit Woodward at 12:17...........
There were only 6 deaths and many many stories of people being thrown from there house. Being sucked out of bed or trying to run to a storm shelter and not making it and ending up on the other side of the road. Only 6 deaths...........We have an amazing God! His hands were wrapped around Woodward that night.
This has been an emotionally draining week for everyone in Woodward. Government has denied Woodward of any help..............but this town has come together and has done an amazing Job. Cody worked Sunday-Wednesday helping with debri pick up. He has come home physically and mentally drained, has seen and heard some amazing stories of survival and gets up and does it again the next day. We had some friends who lost everything......I can't look at her or talk to her or even talk about her and her family without crying............I just want to hug her up and her 8 month old son that was in her arms when the tornado ripped their house apart..........................
This has been a hard week on us, very emotional week and we still have our house......it didn't even come close to our house......we have our things......our stuff........each other.......I can only imagine what these people are going through who lost everything................and family................
