I survived the Beaver Dam tornado of 1980. Someone actually printed up a bunch of t-shirts with this brag–back in the day. 

I was riding my bike home from the Jr. High (Middle School) on this fateful day. As I was riding down Mary Street hill (the same hill from this post). I thought to myself, “Strange how the faster I ride, the stronger the wind blows.” It was like somehow my actions affected the atmosphere. They were correlated…

The sky was darkening to the west. The daylight took on a greenish cast…and then the tornado sirens went off just as I rode past the last few houses before turning into my own driveway. 

Was my first response to seek cover and head to the basement? No, of course not. My concern was for all of our pets. Continue reading →