Tornado Warning

[TNGW1500SE]

We're staying in Northern Florida at Suwannee River State Park. This afternoon there is a "High Risk" for tornadoes. We were camped in the campground in the trees in a class A. The trees are 60 feet tall pines and are blowing all over the place. We had a large branch come down and just miss the back of the RV yesterday. I felt uncomfortable under all those pines with the current winds and they're forecast to get stronger later today. Sooo,,, we moved the RV up to a parking lot on the way out of the park. Left or hoses and cargo trailer there. We're in a "day use" area but it's an empty paved parking lot. There must be 100 spaces. It's us and one van so come on down there's room!!! We're parked now out from under the large pine trees. Well.... a campground volunteer came by and told us we'd have to move. She wants us back under 60 foot pine trees in high winds. Rules are rules but I don't feel safe there. The volunteer said that they were all "taking the same risk". She had the Park Ranger stop by and when were told her we were not spending the night (in their "day use" area) she didn't argue much (I wasn't moving anyway) it would take handcuffs. It's stupid to be in those pines. Looks like when these kind of storms are forecast, they wouldn't get their panties in such a wad and would allow people to park in a safer location. Right now the winds are 20 MPH and you can hear branches cracking and falling and we're in a Styrofoam box. Tonight they'll make us move back into the pines. There's a gate to this place and nobody can get in after they close the gate at 6PM. I'd rather stay here away from the trees all night because of the winds. Nobody can get to this lot anyway. They'll make us move!

[cmcdar]

wannavolnteerFT,

I'm so sorry that you have to deal with this in your town.

[wannavolunteerF]

cmcdar wrote:
here you go...

CMCDAR thanks for the link... I was just so overwhelmed by seeing the devastation that I couldn't think clearly to do some type link or look at the pictures anymore.

My place of employment was hit and I have had to go through some of these areas and it is just heartbreaking.

[Georgia_Popcorn]

We left Mirimar Beach on Monday on Jan 23, Monday this week, there was us and another guy, both driving 30' THOR's (one Hurricane and one Windsport) and coming across the "big bridge" on Hwy 331 going toward Defuniak Springs, Monday AM about 6:30, I truely thought the wind was going to blow us off the highway, I didn't say anything to the DW, but honestly, I thought we were goner's!!!!!!!!!! It was all I could do to keep it straight, the cross wind was horrendous!

[cmcdar]

DutchmenSport wrote:

rockhillmanor wrote:

cmcdar wrote:
...NOTE: We were the ONLY campers in the shelter/restrooms. I am not sure what goes on in other peoples heads but sitting in a camper in high winds, hail, T Storms, Tornado Watches/Warnings, is not for me. - to each his own.

Kinda funny but could have been real deadly.

Approaching tornado at Tom Sawyers CG. I moved my MH off the river bank immediately. Didn't want to be upside down in my MH floating down the great Mississippi when it hit!

I went to the back of the CG and saw a TT with the truck still attached to it. Wife and hubby outside of it arguing about whether to go to the storm shelter or not.

Hubby goes back into TT and slams the door. Incredible winds start and I watched in total disbelief when his wife disconnects the truck from the TT and heads on down to the shelter.

That storm hit and in a nano second it flipped that TT right over!! We got the guy out and he was ok. he thought the tornado got his truck....no one wanted to tell him his DW took it. :C

If it wasn't so sad, that really is a funny story! As a written story it very funny, and almost poetic justice! But I know in real life it was horrible for this family.

Still, it made me smile!

Fortunately, all survived and hopefully a lesson was learned. It could have ended tragically as did the basically minor rv accident where the father was killed because he refused to where a seatbelt.

Foolish pride can be deadly.

[DutchmenSport]

rockhillmanor wrote:

cmcdar wrote:
...NOTE: We were the ONLY campers in the shelter/restrooms. I am not sure what goes on in other peoples heads but sitting in a camper in high winds, hail, T Storms, Tornado Watches/Warnings, is not for me. - to each his own.

Kinda funny but could have been real deadly.

Approaching tornado at Tom Sawyers CG. I moved my MH off the river bank immediately. Didn't want to be upside down in my MH floating down the great Mississippi when it hit!

I went to the back of the CG and saw a TT with the truck still attached to it. Wife and hubby outside of it arguing about whether to go to the storm shelter or not.

Hubby goes back into TT and slams the door. Incredible winds start and I watched in total disbelief when his wife disconnects the truck from the TT and heads on down to the shelter.

That storm hit and in a nano second it flipped that TT right over!! We got the guy out and he was ok. he thought the tornado got his truck....no one wanted to tell him his DW took it. :C

If it wasn't so sad, that really is a funny story! As a written story it very funny, and almost poetic justice! But I know in real life it was horrible for this family.

Still, it made me smile!

[cmcdar]

here you go...

Albany Georgia Tornado Damage Photos

[wannavolunteerF]

additional info... just a few minutes after I posted to get out of the RV if you have a warning. Our tornado warning went off. EF3 tornado tore through sections of the county including completely wiping out two mobile home parks and numerous homes and businesses. some one mentioned the storm damage they saw on I75, that was some of it. I looked for a good picture to show, but can't come up with one. try looking at www.albanyherald.com for pictures. Numerous people have been out of work for days, because our places of employment were hit. When you see pictures of the houses and mobile homes (that in GA must be tied down with hurricane straps) blown to bits where you can't even recognize that it was a home, you realize there is no way to live through a direct hit on an RV, so you definitely should get out. Heartbroken over two tornadoes hitting our town in 20 days.

[TNGW1500SE]

UPDATE: Talked to a Craig at the Florida State Parks. He told me that the volunteer was wrong. That the Ranger there was just "filling in" and she was wrong as well. We should not have been told to go back under those large trees if we felt unsafe there. He said that we could have stayed in the day use area overnight (during the storms) if we felt safer there. He assured me he would review the rules with the staff and volunteers.

PS: We had no problem with the camp hosts there. They were very nice people.

PSS: From now on we will be asking campsites about large trees (before booking) if the weather forecast is calling for high winds during our stay.

[TNGW1500SE]

rockhillmanor wrote:
.......no one wanted to tell him his DW took it......

LOL!

[rockhillmanor]

cmcdar wrote:
...NOTE: We were the ONLY campers in the shelter/restrooms. I am not sure what goes on in other peoples heads but sitting in a camper in high winds, hail, T Storms, Tornado Watches/Warnings, is not for me. - to each his own.

Kinda funny but could have been real deadly.

Approaching tornado at Tom Sawyers CG. I moved my MH off the river bank immediately. Didn't want to be upside down in my MH floating down the great Mississippi when it hit!

I went to the back of the CG and saw a TT with the truck still attached to it. Wife and hubby outside of it arguing about whether to go to the storm shelter or not.

Hubby goes back into TT and slams the door. Incredible winds start and I watched in total disbelief when his wife disconnects the truck from the TT and heads on down to the shelter.

That storm hit and in a nano second it flipped that TT right over!! We got the guy out and he was ok. he thought the tornado got his truck....no one wanted to tell him his DW took it. :C

[TNGW1500SE]

cmcdar wrote:
I was in the same situation just down the road from you in O'leno State Park.

We were camped under huge deciduois trees and MANY snapped trunks still standing. When we heard of the storms coming, my reaction was the same. "I am not sitting here under all of these trees.

I went to find some clearing we could go to and there was none in the whole park. Even the parking lot was lined by huge trees.

We actually cancelled our remaining reservations and moved to a different park 30 miles away.

We still spent time WITH OUR PETS in the shelter until the storm passed. I just felt much safer not having to worry the whole time waiting for the storm to hit.

I will add that I had recently purchased a little portable weather radio that was blaring out warnings on a regular basis. I was very glad I had it.

NOTE: We were the ONLY campers in the shelter/restrooms. I am not sure what goes on in other peoples heads but sitting in a camper in high winds, hail, T Storms, Tornado Watches/Warnings, is not for me. - to each his own.

Where we were, there were people walking around in the woods under the trees. There was a girl (about 12 years old) that was riding her bike around the CG loop. Makes you wonder. You could look up at the pines and see where large dead branches had broken off over the years. When they fall the heavy end comes down first and they head for your roof like an arrow shot straight down at you. They're high enough that they could be doing 50 MPH when they impact the roof. I don't think my Styrofoam roof is going to slow them down much. Glad you found a safer place to go.

[cmcdar]

I was in the same situation just down the road from you in O'leno State Park.

We were camped under huge deciduois trees and MANY snapped trunks still standing. When we heard of the storms coming, my reaction was the same. "I am not sitting here under all of these trees.

I went to find some clearing we could go to and there was none in the whole park. Even the parking lot was lined by huge trees.

We actually cancelled our remaining reservations and moved to a different park 30 miles away.

We still spent time WITH OUR PETS in the shelter until the storm passed. I just felt much safer not having to worry the whole time waiting for the storm to hit.

I will add that I had recently purchased a little portable weather radio that was blaring out warnings on a regular basis. I was very glad I had it.

NOTE: We were the ONLY campers in the shelter/restrooms. I am not sure what goes on in other peoples heads but sitting in a camper in high winds, hail, T Storms, Tornado Watches/Warnings, is not for me. - to each his own.

[TNGW1500SE]

rockhillnor wrote:
I also sadly was yet again in another CG in my MH when a tornado was passing. The big concrete bathroom building was to be used to shelter. Only thing was the CG host said no pets were allowed in it!

A couple of RV'ers took care of THAT situation post haste! And then contemplated not letting her in! :B

Why don't these rule loving people just don't make a "NO TORNADOES ALLOWED" rule.

[rockhillmanor]

I also sadly was yet again in another CG in my MH when a tornado was passing. The big concrete bathroom building was to be used to shelter. Only thing was the CG host said no pets were allowed in it!

A couple of RV'ers took care of THAT situation post haste! And then contemplated not letting her in! :B