The crazy life of Carrie & Bailey Jai

May 10th, 2008

EF-4 Tornado

Picher, Oklahoma

May 10th, 2008
I have already blogged on this last year, but I feel the need to do it again. May 10th, 2008 was a day that changed many lives, in many different ways.

I was driving through Montana last year on this day with one of my best friends, Rachel, my daughter, and my dog. We were making the cross-country trip to move me back to Washington. I got a wierd urge to call my mom, to let her know that we were ok and where we were at. The events that transpired after that phone call will forever change my life............

I dialed my moms phone number, she answered the phone in a panic. " Carrie, I can't talk to you right now, there is a tornado! "

Of course, being myself, I am trying to ask her 100 questions, " Where is a tornado? What are you talking about? Are you outside? Are you sure it's a tornado? " My mom quickly hangs up on me.

Then I called my dad, " Dad, mom is telling me there is a tornado. " My dad says, " Carrie, it's huge! I'm standing in the guard tower at Tracker Marine right now, it's massive! It's heading straight for PICHER! "

My heart sank! I looked at Rachel, " It's heading right towards Picher! " I quickly dialed my friend, Tish. She answers the phone. " Tish, where are you at? "

Tish says, " I'm in the closet with mom and pap! "

I can tell that Tish is frightened by the sound of her voice. I can hear things hitting her house and I can actually hear the wind blowing over the phone.

" What's happening? " I ask her. She managed to utter some more things to me, but honestly the comotion was so loud, I can't quite tell you what she said. THEN...........the phone went dead! Here I am, helpless in Montana, and thinking that I just heard my freind die. It was the worst feeling in the world! Rachel quickly pulled the car over and we began to pray. Thats all we knew to do, was to pray, and pray hard. I tried over and over and over again to call Tish back, but got nothing. In despiration, I called my mom and dad both back. " PLEASE, you have to go to Tish's house, it's bad, please, go find out! "

My mom said that she would go check, but that it was going to be a bit before she could leave b/c there were still very dark clouds lingering over Picher, and she was scared to go over there. We felt so helpless. We had already decided that if we did not hear something from someone soon, we were going to make our way to the nearest airport and catch the first flight back into Tulsa.

My phone begins to ring..............it's Tish! She was clearly shaken and probably at this point, pretty much in shock, but she was ok! I took the biggest sigh of relief that I have ever taken in my entire life! She had damage to her house, her NEW house. I stress the NEW house because she had just moved. Her old house was gone, completely destroyed by the tornado. If she had been in that old house, she would not have survived.

Today it's been one year to the day since that tragic day that an EF-4 tornado claimed the lives of 7 peole in Picher. I think everyday how fortunate I was to have not lost my friend that day, I think of the sound of her voice on the phone and then the phone line just going dead, I think of the fear that I had that day and cannot even begin to imagine the fear of those who were living the nightmare first hand.

Please just let this be a reminder to you, live everyday as if it were your last, tomorrow is never promised, and always tell those closest to you, how much they mean to you. When the sirens sound, take cover. Always be prepared, and never under estimate the power of Mother Nature.

This is where Tish's house used to stand before the tornado