Tornadoes, storms leave at least nine dead

As we all know Thursday night, leading into Friday surrounding areas were devastated by terrific, powerful storms.  Many of the areas were faced with strong thunderstorms and winds, along with a few tornadoes touching down.  In Little Rock, Arkansas and close to Jackson, Mississippi the storms seemed to be a threat to homes and their residents.  Tornadoes plowed their way across the cities destroying everything in its path, killing a total of nine people, including three children.  The devastation was unbelievable.  From Arkansas, there were seven fatalities all together.  Six of these were from uprooted trees being smashed into houses, reported by National Weather Service meteorologist John Robinson stated.  The trees were smashing through houses, causing damage and disaster.  Robinson cannot remember a time when so many fatalities occurred due to fallen trees in Arkansas.  Among the dead in Arkansas Friday were two boys, ages six and seven, and an 18-month-old girl. The seven-year-old and his mother were killed after a tree fell on their house in Little Rock.  Besides deaths the brutal storm left Little Rock physically damaged.  There are a range of different problems from uprooted trees, to downed power lines and destroyed traffic signals.  The destruction was significant, and will take a while to repair it all.  Other areas in the south like Alabama, were affected by the devastating storms.  Due to the storm some events planned for this weekend like sports events at the University of Alabama and Auburn University, and a major NASCAR race at Talladega expecting more than 100,000 fans may be changed because of the storms impact.  It is a tragedy throughout the south, with many people being harmed and affected by this disaster.  There was also reported severe structural damage in Jackson, Mississippi, with lines down and roofs off. An 18-wheel semi-trailer truck flipped over on I-20, shutting down the highway. There have been no fatalities reported, though eight people have been injured and one being critical.  The storms have passed, but they have not left without leaving a mark, and making their presence known.  It will take a while for people to recover, and emotionally overcome the impact this storm has left on families and their lives.

It's amazing how something in nature can be so powerful.  A simple storm, can lead to something so huge and life altering.  It may seem small and soothing, but then it turns into something so powerful, that it can sweep away houses, and take the lives of our loved ones.  I cannot believe what happened in the south, last night with the storms, especially in Little Rock.  This makes me nervous and worried, because I have many friends, and more importantly all of my extended family lives there.  I had no idea how bad the storms were there, and that there were tornadoes that touched down, killing people for that matter.  That makes me start to think on the bigger side of things; what if it was my family or friends who ended up getting hurt from the storm or even worse, what if they were one of the few whose lives were taken.  It makes me respect storms more and their power, and never underestimate them again.  I am so happy to know that my family is ok though and that this time they were safe.  However, the next bad storm that comes around, I just hope they are prepared for the worst and can find safe shelter.  It is amazing how something in this world can result in something so big and devastating.  This really makes me think about the Japanese and what they just went through.  This storm was nothing like what they experienced and I have empathy for them and pray that they will all recover from that horrific incident and be able to move on with their lives. 

Love & Peace