our first tornado comes to lawrence

this morning as we were getting ready to go into town and get some breakfast the lightning and thunder started, followed closely by hail coming in sideways. the air-raid sirens went off and created an eerie panic effect. all the power went down so we didn't know what to do, but realized that it was passing and we went into town determining to be more prepared about what to do next time. we found evidence of the destruction in downtown. mostly windows shattered and awnings ripped out, but there was some real damage done to the old homes by trees and even an indie club exterior destroyed. there was a strange element of not knowing what to do and awe for the power of the unpredictability of it. standing outside looking for clues in the motion of the clouds and wind. invigorating adrenaline for a sunday morning. i want to chase them around as they head out of town. maybe next time...