Monday, April 28, 2014, 7:38 p.m., C.S.T.~

Dear Journal~

Hope this finds y'all well; I'm afraid we're not doing very well at the moment .... we are hunkering in our storm shelter; dangerous weather is ongoing, and just to the south, people are under a HIGH RISK for violent, long track tornadoes, very large hail (baseball sized or bigger), damaging winds in excess of 70 + MPH (hurricane force), and flooding rains.  The skies are black and threatening, especially to the south; you can see constant lightning flashes and the thunder is continuous.

Areas just to the south of us are under tornado watches (and warnings) until midnight, CDT.  Meanwhile, we're under flash flood watches and warnings until 7:00 tomorrow night, CDT.  It is raining buckets out there, and I'm wondering if in the morning we'll have flood damage or water in our home.  I pray not, but if we do, we will go to higher ground.  We do live on a hill, but still ... the way the rains are coming down, I wouldn't be surprised if we had something like water seeping into our home .... I pray not ....

I am happy to say that Johnny, his wife, and their twin daughters, as well as Ronee' and her twin sons, are with me.  They are currently sitting here in the storm shelter with Bill, myself, Terese, and the kids that are left here at home.  I am trying my best to stay calm for their sake, but I can't help but have these niggling feelings in the back of the recesses of my mind, especially when I hear about the reports coming out of Arkansas and Mississippi, my heart is stabbed .... so far 15 people have died, with over 100 reported missing.  And the devastation .... OH, the devastation!!  My heart breaks right in two at the news ....

I know Ronee' wishes Michael, her husband, were here with her, but he's in Alaska; he just got a job as a park ranger at Denali National Park and is undergoing training.  He also found them a place for them in Fairbanks; she'll join him later in the year right after her Alaskan cruise.  I know she misses him terribly; I can see the pain and sadness in her eyes.  She's always expressed her feelings very well; one can't pull the wool over her eyes as to how she feels ....

Johnny is here too, with Rachel and his twin daughters, Novia and Nava.  He is busy on his laptop, trying to get all the latest information regarding the southern storms.  He looks so intense as he sees the images being played out on his computer screen and chats with other chasers and stormspotters .... weather is his passion, but he doesn't like severe storms any better than the rest of us.  I don't blame him: he's already been in one tornado earlier this year; he had damage to his place and it shook him to the core, so he's decided to give up chasing and concentrate fully on becoming a meteorologist instead.

I am sitting with Loretta in my arms; she is scared spitless.  I can feel her tiny body quaking in terror and she has a deathgrip on me.  I know I will end up with welts, cuts, or bruises; Loretta is amazingly strong for a two-year-old child. Big ol' tears swim in her huge dark eyes and she is whining like a lost puppydog.  Speaking of puppies, my Pomeranian, "Cajun Gold", and Johnny's service dog, "Ginger", are both hiding under the chair, quaking heavily.  They don't like storms either; both are 100% chicken.

Bill is here, looking at the lightning outside (what we can see of it from our shelter, that is).  It is amazing; it reminds me of a strobe light show or a crazy fireworks display going on.  Even though it is just after eight, the skies are as black as midnight and the rain is coming down fast and furious.  And I know the winds are howling: you can see the trees bending from the force of the near-hurricane wind speeds.  He looks just as nervous as we all feel.  

I pray I don't have to go in to work tonight; but knowing I may have to .... if there are casualites from the storms to our south, I may have to help out.  I will just have to play it by ear and see if my supervisors will call.  *Sigh*

Just keep those people who have been affected by the storms (or will be in the future as they system migrates eastward) in your prayers; they could really use a miracle or a helping hand right now!  Also pray for us and our nerves; seems that severe storm season has really begun with a bang!  And I'm afraid we have several more months of this to go before it finally clears out and summertime's heat takes hold!  We would all greatly appreciate any (and all) prayers!  God bless and take care!!

~Love, your (weather-weary, worried) friend in Tennessee, Louisiana Mayrah.  :(