I remember the Xenia tornado! (Maybe we're about the same age...)
We were at the County Fair this afternoon when suddenly they announced they were closing the entire fair down at 4:30 due to wind. Wind warning in effect to midnight, sustained gusts of 50+ mph. As we went out to the car the storm had moved in... only the remants, and only the edges of the storm, and still very impressive. We came home, checked the weather, went down to our basement family room and watched a movie.
Our guests from Galveston are staying an extra night (I gave them a 50% discount and called it a "refugee rate"). They were at their daughter's house on the other side of town (a mile or two away) and report that the power is out over there. Our power is on, and the neighbor's tree held, so we're fine. Lots of branches down, though. When I checked the weather it showed the eye of the remnants of Ike over my cousin's house... in Southeastern Missouri, a 12 hour drive away!
Our guests are sure they've lost their car collection... they think the English one is on its way back to England. They own a storefront property in downtown Galveston. There was 7' of flooding there, so they figure probably 5' in the first floor. One side empty, but the small business on the other side is probably wiped out. They figure their sailboat and jet ski are history. They'll head south tomorrow and stay with relatives in Austin until they can go back home.
Not too much rain... but now I know what the "dirty side" is!
=)
Kk.