this Wknds event: a Tornado at the Beach

Well!!! at the beach this wknd. with some other young families....we had quite the event.....yes YIKES, a tornado....these pics. were taken from my friend, Arlene who, along with her husband and daugter, saw it from the highway - yikes.

It was sort of a dark and luminous day, but it didn't stop us from going to the beach....especially my favorite, Patricia Beach.....(the sand is uncomparable, and yet it is not as popular and populated as Grand Beach). Within the 1st half hour, i noticed a lot of splashing, and asked around " are those fish jumping?" then we realized it was HUGE hail....within minutes, it was hard to miss the tornado, down the beach from us, perhaps a 1/4 of a mile, angrily coming swiftly at us....crazy, i felt like i was in that movie twister....as pandomonium broke loose, we noticed it had split, there was the small whirl of water, and then the cloud above us....but if that, or when that cloud comes back down, could it be on us, sucking us to oblivion?.....(except for my "storm-chaser husband" who stayed on the beach..... after being asked "WHY?"..said"i was curious") we all hid in vehicles....Later Rene said the sand stung as it blew and the last thing he saw before having to hide his face behind a tree from the whirling sand, was everything, chairs, towels, shoes, water toys, clothing, beach blankets...go up, and flew....after, chairs and debree were found way, way down the beach, in the water, and in the trees.

It was as if the tornado just lifted right over us, and came back down behind us, leaving much damage and destruction less then a mile or so east of us. Too close for comfort - that is for SURE!

"God is our Refuge, our Hiding Place in the storm"

Unfortunately there was still much much damage to the area. The one death of a women was a friend of mine's aunt, her uncle is still in hospital. Their trailer was picked up and thrown 60 ft! that makes our shoes and clothing that disappeared off the beach seem trivial. As you read this perhaps you could send a prayer up for those affected, those still in hospital, and the families who've lost much, that the Grace and Peace of the Creator would surround them.