Charging tornado not such wise move

I guess I?d have to question my sanity charging into the path of Friday?s tornado and taking poor Charlie Johnson with me, but that?s what we did, narrowly missing the tornado at Green Hill thanks to rush-hour traffic.

At some point it just seemed like the thing to do when we saw the storm take an easterly trek through northern Warren County, uncomfortably close to where I live. I thought perhaps, if the funnel stayed on the same path, we could catch it crossing the road at Green Hill and perhaps get a picture.

Likely thinking I was pulling his leg, Charlie joined me in my potentially dangerous endeavor. However, as he flew past rush-hour traffic on the strip, heading northbound, I think he realized I was on an interception mission as I really leaned on it going down Moose Lodge Hill.

It was at that point, even as the sky turned steadily blacker and the wind rose that I began to wonder how accurate Doppler radar really was. At about Delores? Market it became obvious this was not a false alarm like we?ve so often seen here. Warren County has been very lucky when it comes to deadly tornadoes with no fatalities since the night of the tornado in 1974.

By the time we reached Gath I had no doubt were heading toward a tornado. Although I?ve never seen a twister in the daylight in person, it?s one of those things which you just kind of know, even without hearing the tell-tale train noise.

We could see the circulating clouds some, extending over our heads as smaller debris started circulating. Since Dibrell sits on higher land, we couldn?t see the funnel, just the top where it went into the cloud. It was at this point I became alarmed maybe I would get ?backdoored? by the storm, meaning its base would be big enough to encompass my car as we approached Dibrell School.

A rain-wrapped funnel at this point was my worst nightmare as we were suddenly swamped by blinding rain and swirling debris. We pulled over briefly at the school in Dibrell just to make sure it was still standing since we weren?t exactly sure where the funnel cloud was. We were basically flying blind.

We then headed north again, topping the hill at a pretty good rate of speed. It was as we topped the hill near the former Guthrie Nursery that the scene became surreal. Debris was everywhere, causing me to slam on my brakes and slide into the nursery parking lot. Folks were just coming out of their damaged houses nearby, looks of disbelief on their faces. After all, Warren County, especially northern Warren County, doesn?t get tornadoes. We could see the swirling as it continued down East Green Hill Road. However, the debris trail in the road behind it prevented any following of the storm.

As for the next few hours, it was as chaotic as you can imagine, lights and sirens everywhere as a second storm moved in. It was then, as we all sought refuge at North Warren Fire Hall, that I was first worried as the next tornado took a southerly trek. But, the worry was not for me, but for my family who were at my mother?s house in town. It?s one thing for me to play cowboy, it?s another when loved ones are in harm?s way.

The deaths of three of our own and nine more in Gallatin were a tragedy, but, if you seen the damage out there, it?s a miracle the toll wasn?t much, much higher. The things they?ve always said about tornadoes are true, they take one house and leave the other close by. To see the aftermath left me humbled as to Mother Nature?s power.

Duane Sherrill is a reporter for the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].