Traveling north up Highway 25 this afternoon, as soon as I exited Amory, I realized to some degree what I was about to get in to. The first indication of something out of the ordinary was a row of about a dozen or so brand new telephone/power poles along the highway- my heart sunk.
What came next was something you hope to never see. Even two months later, there still seems to be somewhat of sense of despair, even among all of the clean up. Personally, there's just something about seeing the spray painted symbols and codes on buildings that I cannot digest. I always wonder what the person who left them had to face; what all did they see?
I think it is an event that many people will always remember "where they were" right when it happened.
Separate from some classic meteorological signature features that can be taught with this photo- I cannot help but to think about a more personal side. What was probably an ordinary Wednesday afternoon in a small north Mississippi town was about to change forever.
3:38PM- I think about the students who must have just been getting out of class, maybe walking home from school. I think about those who were preparing for Wednesday evening services at the local churches. I think about the moms and dads at work, worrying about how they would get dinner on the table that night. I think about those that never made it home that day...
Some of the initial phrases that I heard which attempted to describe the devastation: "totally destroyed," "catastrophic," "Smithville is gone" may have not even been enough. Perhaps it was only the survivors who saw their town through the rubble seconds after the tornado hit, but even two months later, one's imagination still has trouble grasping what appears to have happened...
Continuing along Highway 25, I saw cement driveways which lead to barren plots of land decorated with mangled steel. I saw brick steps which lead to bare foundations and clear blue sky. If that was not humbling enough, at every lot, someone had put up an American flag- a symbol of strength and an assurance that things will get better.
One of the scary things about April 27, is that this particular storm really could have happened just about anywhere in north Mississippi with how ripe the atmosphere was for strong storms that day. Smithville is situated about 25-35 miles away from Tupelo, not to mention various other relatively small towns in Monroe County. My point being, just because many of us did not see damage like what was experienced in Smithville, do not be quick to try and remove yourself from the reality that it could have just as easily happened somehwere else- and likely will at some point in the future. Residents of nearby Tupelo only have to venture back to 1936 to remember what was one of the deadliest US tornadoes which killed entire families and decimated the northern part of the city.
For reasons that I do not understand, meteorologists have long been the target of extreme scrutiny by the public. I would like to think that is in part due to a lack of understanding the science behind what we do, but I feel like after a day like April 27th, I find it hard to believe that people still mock the work of TV meteorologists in particular. Being such a small town, many of us have no ties or connections to Smithville, but I think it is impossible for anyone to not be affected by the images and stories that continue to pour out of that area.
As there is usually a lesson in every story, what I take from this is that always, always, always, we must take weather watches and warnings seriously! Even though it is inevitable to ward off that sense of complacency after numerous "false alarms" I just think back to what I have seen with my own eyes what these storms can do. I will include a few images I took just one day after the Tuscaloosa tornado occurred. I must add, Tuscaloosa's tornado was classified as having been an EF-4; Smithville's tornado was rated an EF-5 with winds over 200 miles per hour. So these images, and worse:
As we approach Independence Day, many of us will enjoy this holiday with our families. Please keep in mind those that lost loved ones on April 27th, as well as those men and women who have and continue to serve our country at home and overseas!
God Bless,
Jake
I was contacted by Kevin Flemmons, one of the first responders to the Smithville tornado. He graciously shared some sobering pictures of some of the damage taken just three days after the tornado hit:
Thats a good post. I just came through there a few hours ago because my wife had not been there since the storm. Before we got into Smithville, I got an eerie, sickening feeling in my stomach just knowing what was coming. As for myself, I am a volunteer fireman and worked over there the Saturday after the storm. The day of the storm, we worked in Chickasaw county which was hit hard by the same storm. For those who would like to know what it looked like before, just use google maps and go to street view and "walk" down the streets. Absolutely nothing is the same. May God bless the residents, they are not forgotten.
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