Whew! The past 24+ hours have been nuts! It started yesterday morning...
The Brooklyn Twister of 2008 It was a normal August morning in the borough of Brooklyn. The sun had not risen yet. The birds were quiet. We were snug in our beds dreaming of the summer version of sugar plums.
Then, suddenly... TORNADO!
Whoosh! Next thing you know, my friend Bill Harding is knocking on the door telling me we had to roll. I groggily grabbed my camera gear and ran downstairs and jumped in to the truck. We had to make it to where the tornado was before our nemesis, Dr. Jonas Miller did. I hate Jonas for reasons that aren't exactly clear - but probably it has something to do with how smarmy he is.
I jumped in to the truck and was surprised to see that we had been joined by Bill's ex-wife, Jo. "WTF?", I think.
This is not the time or place for this. We have tornadoes to chase AND we have to beat Jonas!!!
Divorce Jo was along for the ride because Bill had the final divorce papers and he wanted her to sign them so that he could marry his kinda annoying therapist fiancé who knew NOTHING about tornados. Why Jo just didn't sign them from the get-go instead of getting into the truck and going to chase a tornado with us, I'll never know.
Holy crap! Did I mention how much I hate that Dr. Jonas Miller?
So we are barreling down the street looking for this elusive tornado. It's here. We can feel it. We start to see the destruction. Tree limbs. Smashed windshields. Disoriented crazy people.
Suddenly we turn a corner and OMIGOD THERE'S THE TORNADO!!!!!!!!
We all FREAK!!!!
But we don't forget our collective tornado school training and we quickly jump into action. I flip all the cameras on and point them to towards the swirling, dark monster in front of us. Bill and Jo are already in the back setting up the tornado robot that will do all this great scientific measuring and stuff - and I quickly join them and help them lift it out and put it into the street.
Here comes the tornado! We plop the robot down and make a run for it - but realize that the tornado is coming too fast and we aren't going to make it. Bill decides we're going to have to ride it out. OMIGOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Since Bill is all smart and stuff, he has us take off our belts and we then belt ourselves onto a lamppost. All three of us hugging this lamp post with belts wrapped around us - I am sure it was quite a site. But, OMIGOD HERE COMES THE TORNADO!!!!1!!
The last thing I saw before I shut my eyes was the tornado robot being sucked up in the air. Go robot!!
Then the tornado hit us. OMIGOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The wind was so crazy and we got thrown around, but our collective pole hugging and belt cinching kept us grounded. And as quick as it hit, it was gone. We crumple to the ground. Breathing heavy. Bill grabs Jo to make sure she is all right. She is fine.
