No Negotiating with the Heavens, Part II
Totally drenched and fearing for my computers life, once again I streaked across what used to be the lawn to my little piece of sharecropper heaven. It was starting to get windy out too, I noticed and no sooner had I been in the door 30 seconds and the power went out. I stared out the window at the insane rain hitting the panes. If it kept up there would be a foot or more of standing water out there.
The lights came back on after about half an hour, and given the increased crappiness of the weather, I decided it was no food for the night, I would just get by on water and 2 moonpies!
I fooled with the old TV, which did get some channels, and as the wind was now really cranking outside and rattling things, I found the local weather. And thats when it dawned on me. We are in serious tornado country, and this continuous line of thunderstorms we’d been having for the past 5 hours was just the kind of thing that causes those things. The news confirmed my suspicions…there had been touch downs all over THIS county, 3 were already dead across the state line in Arkansas, and the weatherman was firmly insisting that all people watching this broadcast get into a safe room, or be prepared at a moments notice to go to the safest part of the house. I looked around me at the corregated tin roofing, and barnwood that surrounded me. “aw, crap (that isn’t what I said, but this is a G rated website)”. There is NO safe place in a shack. I wandered around and decided the shower in the bathroom would have to be it for me. It wasn’t really funny.
An hour passed by and those instances when the power was on, I watched the weatherman pointing out windsheer (it was currently 65mph right outside the window… my car was looking pitiful out there, and its left front wheelwell was totally under water. I was so glad it was a rental). The ground was fully a lake now, and the corregated tin roofs of the barn I could see out the window was flapping up and down in the wind making a racket and inspiring images of ripping off and coming whirling through the air wizard of oz style sheering my head clean off as I looked into the darkness.
Another hour and it was midnight and I just couldn’t take it anymore. My safe place was going to have to be my bed, because I was exhausted, hungry, and still never did get online :). (wifi was definitely out now). So I closed my eyes, visions of floodwater floating my bed across the room and tornados blowing my walls down were dancing through my head.
I woke up in the morning, still alive, still in bed, and all was quiet. A lot wet outside, but the sky was a perfect sunny blue, as if it was pretending it hadn’t done a thing the night before. Power lines were down but the water was receding. I spoke with Bill, the owner who was thanking his lucky stars that morning. Me too. I got in my very wet car, whose floorboards had been flooded, and headed outta town.
Tags: Clarksdale, Deep South, Deep South USA, Mississippi, Roadtrip, Shack Up Inn, USA, Tag Index
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