At least one tornado touched down in Dallas and Richardson, Texas last night, causing extensive damage and some hospital visits but, as yet recorded, no deaths or life-threatening injuries.
Some information:
This puts the tornado as touching down near an airport and moving northeast through a heavily populated area. Trees were uprooted, houses and businesses damaged, and in at least two instances cars were flipped.
For those who are curious:
I received a few questions last night about the relative safety of myself and my family. I admit, my wife and daughter were in the tub for a little while after the sirens went off, as I checked the storm reports and finished the Night Owl. We are safe… and because I know some of the regulars in our comment sections are also from the North Texas area, I would appreciate if any of them check in to let everyone know they’re okay. That absolutely includes anyone from the “extended family”, by my lights; I don’t care whether you’re someone from a Trumpist site who lurks. Let everyone know you’re okay, because life, health and safety should transcend politics.
Also, while this is not an open thread per se, if anyone happens to have stories of their survival and recovery from natural disasters, they can be useful in times like this to deal with the trauma.
I’m well aware that the odds are against anyone here being directly impacted by the tornado. I’m also aware that it’s a small world; when the Dallas police officers were ambushed a few years ago, one of the officers was a relative of a close family friend. When the Naval Shipyard shooting happened, my brother was one of the two survivors from his office. Things like this remind us that life is short, things are just things, and people are what matter.
We have two families who were at our wedding whose houses were on the edge of that tornado track. I’ll be checking on them today.
