More weird and wonderful weather

We have had a few days of bucketing rain now,

after our weeks of dry and heat.

Yesterday I took the above photo

looking out onto our flooded front garden

being pelted with yet another downpour.

Then our power dipped, and Emily phoned.

Just a kilometre or so away from home,

she had been dismissed from school sport

and walked outside into a mini-tornado.

She and her friends were just a hundred metres or so

from this

source

and this

source

and this

source 

and not far from this either

source

As they stood under some shelter

a receptionist in a local business came and dragged them inside.

Miraculously,  noone was killed during the storm,

despite roof panels flying from businesses and shops,

trees falling and the demountable building shown above 

being flipped over with 6 people inside. 

15 people are reported injured.

There were reports of the funnel of the storm being sighted,

a huge roar of wind, flashes of light.

Poor Emily was quite freaked out.

However the storm was quickly over and she 

bravely carried on to work at her new job,

after a few phone calls back and forth with me,

and eventually arrived home at 6pm.

* * *

We don't live in a tornado area, 

but this is the second mini-tornado

or hurricane that has impacted on us.

In 2002, just around this time of year,

a hurricane roared through another small corridor,

ripping a large branch from high above 

and landing it on our washing line,

just seconds after I had been standing beneath,

bringing in the washing.

* * *

Here at home, if Emily hadn't called, 

we wouldn't have known

that a storm had passed through.

There was no damage near us.

For me, it was an afternoon 

of late and excited piano students,

texts from relatives as news of the storm reached the media,

and much thankfulness to God that Emily was safe.