Got caught in El Reno last night when all hell broke loose

by Murphy , Saturday, June 01, 2013, 21:39 (4137 days ago) @ MR

I headed to Oklahoma City about 10:00AM Thursday morning to catch a Paul Thorn (singer/song writer) show that night. I'd bought the tickets last month and planned on visiting family and friends while there.

Yesterday evening I left Oklahoma City (OKC) and traveled 30 miles west to the town of El Reno. A lifelong classmate/shooter and hunting buddy of mine lives there. I'd been at his home about 45 minutes when the tornado warning sirens went off. Growing up in OKC the first 13 years of my life, I went through my share of tornados. I've watched the front door go missing, had every window in the room I was in implode...etc. Amazing what a human being can get use to isn't it?

We were actually eating dinner when the sirens went off. My friend (Rusty) got up and went to check the TV weather. He was gone a couple of minutes and returned. He told me we gotta git buddy, it ain't good. He'd checked the TV weather and it was multiple tornados all in one, not your usual tornado. He'd already crossed the street and asked his neighbour if there was room in his storm shelter, it was filled. We had no option but to run.

We hit the road in my Dodge and headed due South outta town, seems we weren't the only ones with that plan. We were on a 4 lane divided highway and it was fillin' up quick. I thought folks could be movin' a bit faster, then saw the reason why they weren't. About 3-4 miles out of El Reno people were lining the road on both sides, watching the huge ominous dark wall approaching from the West. My guess is about 75% of them had camera's and video camera's out taking photos and filming. A few were just brilliant enough to climb up on top of their vehicle for a better look. I can't recall seeing that many people up for the ultimate 'Darwin Ward' all at the same time.

We made it 10 miles out of El Reno when Rusty told me it we were in the clear and to find a place to pull over. We listened to the radio broadcast and waited for the all is clear notice. Roughly, 20 minutes later we were headed back into El Reno. There was plenty of debris hanging from fences and the cable dividing the 4 lane highway. 3 vehicles were off the road in various states of posture. One had been picked up and carried 40 yards and dropped in a field. A barn that was flattened...etc.

Thankfully, Rusty's house was unharmded other than a single broken window from large hail.

Getting back into Oklahoma City last night to my sisters house (who thankfully has a storm shelter and came through just fine with zero damage) well...thats a whole nother' story my friends.

Murphy