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Okay, not really, but it's the lyrics of this bluegrass song my dad really likes, and thus I remember it. It also sort of fits the current situation.
I was woken this afternoon around 1:30 PM by the sound of rain upon my window. I could hear the thunder rumbling the night before, so I had expected this. Anyway, I got up, went to check my mail and get some food, and came back. During that time, the rain had picked up quite a bit, and there were tiny pieces of ice falling from the sky. The blue of clear sky could be seen nearby, however, so I suspected it would all blow over soon.
I was wrong.
By 2:10, the hail had gotten to be about a half-inch in size and was falling steadily. I went outside one last time to get a good look at the storm (I tend to do this a lot, being an ombromaniac). Five minutes later, I was back in my room, trying to get to the door to close it so the ice would stop flying in. The hail had reached the size of golf balls by this point, and had shattered the skylights on Altamirano, and thus were flying into the building, bouncing off the railing, and sailing in through our open door. It was unsafe to be within ten feet of that door, for fear of not only being bludgeoned by hail, but also being lacerated by still-falling glass from the skylights. Looking out the window, we (my roommates and I) watched as, one by one, the cars in the parking lot lost their windshields. In another five minutes, those innocent little bits of ice I had seen earlier had transformed into tennis ball sized hail, falling so fast that it was breaking the metal of the cars.
When it was all over, everyone went outside to survey the damage. Altamirano (my apartment building) was in a state of emergency, with most of the third-floor windows gone, and the halls a literal deathtrap. Outside, the damage was more extensive. Cars totalled, trees completely stripped, and the entire town without any power. The campus itself was flooded, and it was impossible to walk anywhere without completely soaking your clothes. Classes may be cancelled tomorrow (it's not been officially announced yet). Several people had to be rushed to the hospital for head injuries when they had been caught outside in it. There was even an electrical fire started in West Hall when the ruptured air conditioner pipe spewed water all over some now stripped cables.
Power is back (obviously), the mess has been cleaned up in Altamirano, and that's about it. The phone lines are still out (the one time I'm glad ISD exists), and many students are without any mode of transportation. I get the feeling I'm going to be joined by a lot of people on my regular walks to the grocery.
I recently found out there was also a tornado in the county. It blew just south of us.
EDIT: And now that the pictures I took are online... (There will be pop-ups, but Angelfire wouldn't have it any other way. --; )
Oh, and apparently the roof to the new Wal-Mart collapsed, severely injuring one construction worker.
I was woken this afternoon around 1:30 PM by the sound of rain upon my window. I could hear the thunder rumbling the night before, so I had expected this. Anyway, I got up, went to check my mail and get some food, and came back. During that time, the rain had picked up quite a bit, and there were tiny pieces of ice falling from the sky. The blue of clear sky could be seen nearby, however, so I suspected it would all blow over soon.
I was wrong.
By 2:10, the hail had gotten to be about a half-inch in size and was falling steadily. I went outside one last time to get a good look at the storm (I tend to do this a lot, being an ombromaniac). Five minutes later, I was back in my room, trying to get to the door to close it so the ice would stop flying in. The hail had reached the size of golf balls by this point, and had shattered the skylights on Altamirano, and thus were flying into the building, bouncing off the railing, and sailing in through our open door. It was unsafe to be within ten feet of that door, for fear of not only being bludgeoned by hail, but also being lacerated by still-falling glass from the skylights. Looking out the window, we (my roommates and I) watched as, one by one, the cars in the parking lot lost their windshields. In another five minutes, those innocent little bits of ice I had seen earlier had transformed into tennis ball sized hail, falling so fast that it was breaking the metal of the cars.
When it was all over, everyone went outside to survey the damage. Altamirano (my apartment building) was in a state of emergency, with most of the third-floor windows gone, and the halls a literal deathtrap. Outside, the damage was more extensive. Cars totalled, trees completely stripped, and the entire town without any power. The campus itself was flooded, and it was impossible to walk anywhere without completely soaking your clothes. Classes may be cancelled tomorrow (it's not been officially announced yet). Several people had to be rushed to the hospital for head injuries when they had been caught outside in it. There was even an electrical fire started in West Hall when the ruptured air conditioner pipe spewed water all over some now stripped cables.
Power is back (obviously), the mess has been cleaned up in Altamirano, and that's about it. The phone lines are still out (the one time I'm glad ISD exists), and many students are without any mode of transportation. I get the feeling I'm going to be joined by a lot of people on my regular walks to the grocery.
I recently found out there was also a tornado in the county. It blew just south of us.
EDIT: And now that the pictures I took are online... (There will be pop-ups, but Angelfire wouldn't have it any other way. --; )
Oh, and apparently the roof to the new Wal-Mart collapsed, severely injuring one construction worker.
