"What a night, what a storm!"

I normally don't like to post during the day when my kids are awake, but I know our family would like to know what went on lastnight.

As Azul say's on the Island Princess, "What a night, what a storm!" I am still in shock at how powerful and scary mother nature can get! At 2am I think that most of us (except for Emma and Ethan. lol) in the townhomes were awaken by a very powerful severe thunderstorm that was beyond insane! I have never seen the night sky light up like that for such a long period of time and the rain and winds were unbelievable. I ran downstairs to grab our radio's so I could listen to the weather channel. They said there was a tornado watch until 8am, but no tornado warnings. At one point I said to Eran, "Do you think we should go in the basement?" It was scary beyond words! And in the midst of the storm, a tree branch fell onto a power line right by our house, which caused it to explode several times. I had the hardest time falling back asleep!!! Eran, however, had no problem. lol. When we woke up at 7am, the power was still out. It tried coming back on, but every time it did, the branch would catch on fire and it would explode again. Finally the power came back on at 10am. Seeing how scary that storm was, I don't want to know what a tornado would actually be like! ey ey ey!

Here is a article from myfoxkc.com...

"Major Storms Plow Through Kansas City

City battered by hurricane-force winds

Last Edited: Friday, 02 May 2008, 10:05 AM CDT

Created: Friday, 02 May 2008, 5:33 AM CDT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Two rounds of severe weather and hurricane-force winds battered the Kansas City area Thursday night and Friday morning. Damage is extensive on both sides of the state line.

At least 200 houses and businesses have been destroyed from Lawrence to Gladstone.

Much of the damage is in the city's northern suburbs, and about 42,000 people are without power.

Due to power outages and some damage, a handful of schools have canceled or delayed classes.

The first blow came around 5 p.m. on Thursday, bringing hail and heavy rain. Then suspected straight-line winds reaching nearly 85 mph plowed through around 2 a.m.

Several people were injured, but none seriously.

Joe Vitale, Kansas City Fire Department, told drivers to avoid 291 Highway at 112th street eastbound.

KCMO Police said the area of 291 Highway between I-435 and I-35 north of the river is currently impassible due to debris and downed power lines.

In Independence, the Noland Road bridge at I-70 is closed due to low-hanging signal lights. I-70 traffic is not affected.

Downed trees and debris are blocking roadways, and power outages are causing confusion at intersections. Officials urge drivers to use extreme caution on their morning commute, and to treat broken stop-lights as four-way stop signs.

Due to the amount of damage, some wind speeds could have hit 120 mph. The National Weather Service will conduct a survey Friday morning to determine exactly what happened.

Stay with myfoxkc.com and FOX 4 News through the morning for the latest details on the aftermath."





Here is an article from MSNBC.com....

Twisters hit central U.S., at least 3 killed. Hundreds of properties damaged or destroyed in Kansas City

Here are some video's from some local news websites...

Wind Overturns Rail Cars

Homes Flattened Near Gladstone (Gladstone is right next to Riverside)

Fast-Food Restaurant Destroyed By Storm

Here is a PERFECT example of what happened to the power line near our house. That explosion is soooo loud and bright! It scared BriAnn so bad that she was hiding under our covers. =O( I felt so sad that she was so scared! I hope the chaos last night doesn't prevent her from sleeping in her own room tonight.

I am SO grateful that nothing too serious happened to any of us in the townhomes. I used to always complain that we never got any of the "cool" weather that happens around here. Well, now that i've experienced some of it, I don't think that its that "cool" anymore. LOL.

Here are some pictures of a branch by the power line that exploded. And the 2nd picture is a bunch of branches that blew up against the fence.