tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post5381225864458131835..comments2024-03-28T04:49:59.527-05:00Comments on Every goddamn day: 03/28/24: "Get out of here!!" -- The Plainfield TornadoNeil Steinberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468057838260476480noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-3101198473045977592019-08-28T11:40:44.392-05:002019-08-28T11:40:44.392-05:00I was working in the Monadnock Building (Dearborn ...I was working in the Monadnock Building (Dearborn and Jackson) that day, and had a clear view toward the southwest. Saw how black the clouds were and knew the storm was a bad one. We had no radio or TV so it wasn't until I saw the coverage on WGN News at Nine that I knew how truly awful it had been.<br /><br />I have witnessed three twisters since my late teens. The first one passed my high school, bent a flagpole, and unroofed a junior high two miles away. I saw it from a classroom window as it crossed the football field.<br /><br />The second one was viewed from a bus. It was one of a family of tornadoes that included the F-4 twister that devastated Oak Lawn. My girlfriend's father's Pontiac dealership was destroyed. Many of the dozens of fatalities were in the cars stopped at the busy intersection outside his office. He crawled out of the wreckage and helped pull bodies out of cars, a skating rink and a trailer park.<br /><br />The third tornado I saw was also the closest call. It just missed blowing my vehicle off the road as I was traveling through Oklahoma...on a Good Friday! Keep an eye on the sky, put a dollar in the kitty, and buy yourself a NOAA weather radio--I bought my first one in '76. Have a place to hide and practice getting into it...and acting quickly. (TAKE YOUR KEYS, TOO!) <br /><br />My wife and I can now get ourselves and our kitties into our basement toilet within two or three minutes. But sometimes, even that is not fast enough. And if it's an EF-4 or an EF-5, even a basement probably won't save you. But fortunately, those storms are quite rare. Grizz 65https://www.blogger.com/profile/02892702223228764894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-40765393255356312742018-08-27T08:13:51.809-05:002018-08-27T08:13:51.809-05:00A favorite amongst all your articles/ columns.A favorite amongst all your articles/ columns.Privatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10757585399827295128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-12987830387270756362015-08-29T11:54:50.885-05:002015-08-29T11:54:50.885-05:00okayokayAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-6927532928452488562015-08-28T19:01:14.171-05:002015-08-28T19:01:14.171-05:00No, it's in Virginia Beach. I just thought it ...No, it's in Virginia Beach. I just thought it seemed apt. Neil Steinberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11468057838260476480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-55156930482203025092015-08-28T18:00:52.052-05:002015-08-28T18:00:52.052-05:00Is that statue on the top, near the school area wh...Is that statue on the top, near the school area where the twister hit?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-5723150304981774382015-08-28T17:59:42.855-05:002015-08-28T17:59:42.855-05:00One wouldn't blame a paper reporter resenting ...One wouldn't blame a paper reporter resenting the comparatively spoiled, local TV news ones who get a driver and cameraman to go into areas.<br /><br />But the ones in the cozy news rooms as anchors prob have it the easiest.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-9652907370041924632015-08-28T16:27:40.847-05:002015-08-28T16:27:40.847-05:00It's not just the total destruction, it's ...It's not just the total destruction, it's the fact such power is released in a matter of minutes. Outside of a nuclear device, nothing is worse.WendyChttp://twitter.com/WendyCCHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-63908496202365855702015-08-28T08:47:35.153-05:002015-08-28T08:47:35.153-05:00Also, join in at the new general discussion room o...Also, join in at the new general discussion room open on the other side of the blog.Commentatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-22893796329586161912015-08-28T08:35:31.029-05:002015-08-28T08:35:31.029-05:00They are having a Memorial service today near that...They are having a Memorial service today near that school, in mid aft.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-1176266625262928132015-08-28T07:43:11.128-05:002015-08-28T07:43:11.128-05:00Thanks for this. The tornado hit on my 15th birthd...Thanks for this. The tornado hit on my 15th birthday and thus always stood out for me. I remember coming home from football practice myself and hearing about it. I just remember the pictures from helicopters and appreciate the story from the ground.Daniel Kobelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-68020379941743447832015-08-28T07:09:55.107-05:002015-08-28T07:09:55.107-05:00too funny about the officertoo funny about the officerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-86863983315904017992015-08-28T07:05:05.091-05:002015-08-28T07:05:05.091-05:00Very well written and very moving. Plainfield has ...Very well written and very moving. Plainfield has a small museum that has a display about that horrific day. 13 yrs later my family and I moved near that area, if not right in the town and we had to give thought to the "tornado alley."<br /><br />Mrs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com