I had been enjoying the cool evening with friends, snacking on chips, catching up and cracking jokes like we always do. "Huh, Kelly is calling me, I wonder what's up" I thought as I answered it. "Have you heard?" she asked, "A tornado formed by Aplington and has wiped out almost half of Parkersburg! Have you talked to your parents? Are they ok?"
It was complete news to me. I grew up just outside Aplington. Parkersburg is just a hop down the road. Could this really be happening?
A call to my mom quickly confirmed what I had just heard. "Yes, Parkersburg is destroyed. Wendy and Mike are OK though. Their house is completely gone but they made it down in the basement just in time. It missed us though." Wendy is my cousin. She and Mike just brought their 5 day old home from the hospital a couple days before.
We hung up after only a couple moments. Soon my phone started ringing again with other concerned friends wondering if I had been up there this weekend and wanting to know if we were OK. I thought of others I knew up there and started calling them to see how they were doing. I kept getting the same stories.
A few pictures to illustrate...
Unless you don't live in Iowa, you probably know the stories already. You've seen the pictures of the complete devastation. A town of 1900 about a third gone. More of it badly damaged. People I know. People I grew up with. Relatives. Friends.
I saw an old classmate of mine on TV describing it. I heard from a guy I used to compete with at the county fair talking about the sheriff's department plan of action. I read names in the paper of people I remember.
It's been surreal watching the footage, reading the articles and thinking about the town I grew up by destroyed. I wanted to help. I wanted to show up with a chain saw or something and at least attempt to help someone look for their possessions. I wanted to be grateful for the lives spared and pray for those who were taken.
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For now, the town is closed off. Only residents are allowed and only during daylight hours until large debris is moved and it is safe for people to sort through whatever they can find.
Wendy, Mike and little Amy are staying at my aunt and uncle's house outside Aplington, counting their blessings for being alive, trying to deal with their loss, and -most sadly- preparing for a funeral for Mike's grandparents, who were victims of this devastation.
Please pray for those affected. I can't imagine what it would be like to have your world turned upside down.
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