Walking Into A Story
The incessant pounding of rain all day yesterday and overnight had already ensured a busy news day, with the downpour conjuring images of Tropical Storm Allison five years ago.
Nevertheless, I managed to get my son, Curt, to school without a problem today, and the fact that school buses were out told me that the district was running on schedule.
I should have turned on the radio.
When I got to China Elementary School, the parking lot was almost empty, and the lights were out in Curt's class. We got into the school and were told to head to the office, where we found dozens of elementary school children huddled in a hallway.
Apparently, one tornado had swept by earlier in the morning, and another one was believed to be on its way.
Soon, the hallways were full of junior high and high schoolers as well. Hardin-Jefferson bus drivers picking up kids in China were instructed to take them straight to the elementary school, which would serve as a shelter until the tornado threat passed.
Curt didn't seem to understand the disruption in his schedule, but he seemed to enjoy, rather than feel anxious about, the excitement.
Making a quick call to The Enterprise newsroom, I learned that China had become Ground Zero for breaking news. A tornado had nailed a nearby subdivision.
So I became rather torn. I didn't want to just leave my son and go, but I also felt compelled to do something while being in the story's center.
With Curt my shadow, I swiped a notepad and pen out of the library (the librarian said it was OK) and started interviewing the principal and writing down observations about what was going on at the school.
Soon, the tornado danger had passed, so I left Curt with his teachers and took off to check out twister damage and do some reporting, seeing as I was already there.
The scene along Westbury Road was kind of like Hurricane Rita Light. Metal roofing material lay scattered in fields. Toys and other items were strewn in yards. Power lines were down.
One house had a collapsed roof, and down the street, the tornado had picked up a children's play fort and tossed into a back bedroom.
Tornado power certainly is impressive. I've covered many a tornado aftermath, and twisters never fail to amaze. I've seen homes reduced to a clean concrete slab, with no evidence of the building anywhere in sight. I've seen refrigerator parts lodged so deep into trees that they can't be pulled out by hand.
By comparison, the damage along Westbury Road was minor. No one was hurt, based on the latest reports, and no houses were obliterated.
But I learned a valuable lesson: Next time I'm either going online, flicking on the TV or listening to the radio before I set out into another one of these Southeast Texas rain and wind festivals.
Nevertheless, I managed to get my son, Curt, to school without a problem today, and the fact that school buses were out told me that the district was running on schedule.
I should have turned on the radio.
When I got to China Elementary School, the parking lot was almost empty, and the lights were out in Curt's class. We got into the school and were told to head to the office, where we found dozens of elementary school children huddled in a hallway.
Apparently, one tornado had swept by earlier in the morning, and another one was believed to be on its way.
Soon, the hallways were full of junior high and high schoolers as well. Hardin-Jefferson bus drivers picking up kids in China were instructed to take them straight to the elementary school, which would serve as a shelter until the tornado threat passed.
Curt didn't seem to understand the disruption in his schedule, but he seemed to enjoy, rather than feel anxious about, the excitement.
Making a quick call to The Enterprise newsroom, I learned that China had become Ground Zero for breaking news. A tornado had nailed a nearby subdivision.
So I became rather torn. I didn't want to just leave my son and go, but I also felt compelled to do something while being in the story's center.
With Curt my shadow, I swiped a notepad and pen out of the library (the librarian said it was OK) and started interviewing the principal and writing down observations about what was going on at the school.
Soon, the tornado danger had passed, so I left Curt with his teachers and took off to check out twister damage and do some reporting, seeing as I was already there.
The scene along Westbury Road was kind of like Hurricane Rita Light. Metal roofing material lay scattered in fields. Toys and other items were strewn in yards. Power lines were down.
One house had a collapsed roof, and down the street, the tornado had picked up a children's play fort and tossed into a back bedroom.
Tornado power certainly is impressive. I've covered many a tornado aftermath, and twisters never fail to amaze. I've seen homes reduced to a clean concrete slab, with no evidence of the building anywhere in sight. I've seen refrigerator parts lodged so deep into trees that they can't be pulled out by hand.
By comparison, the damage along Westbury Road was minor. No one was hurt, based on the latest reports, and no houses were obliterated.
But I learned a valuable lesson: Next time I'm either going online, flicking on the TV or listening to the radio before I set out into another one of these Southeast Texas rain and wind festivals.
posted by Brian Pearson at 11:25 AM
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