Prayers for all in the area of tornadoes. Stay safe and secure.
Tornado hit Little Rock
- Thread starter Faulkner
- Start date
I lived in Cincinnati from the time I was born, 1957 until I moved to Florida in 2001.
I owned 2 house during that time. When looking for a house the one thing it HAD to have was a basement. When those sirens go off, it's a comfort to have somewhere safe to go.
My cousins in laws lived in Saylor Park 4-3-74. They had no basement. They grabbed their mattress and covered themselves and laid in a hallway. When it was over the only thing left of their house was the hallway walls. Everything else was leveled.
I don't think they were laying there alone.
We had a bad storm last night and a tornado touched down in a town about 35 miles SW of me.(Geneseo). The wind in my area reached about 75 mph for a short time,with heavy rain and some hail.
twodog max
Member
We have lived in Arkansas for almost 70 years. Tornados are a fact of life here and I have been close to several and seen a few while outside watching, of course. When we built a new home 10 years ago we had a safe room built as part of it. Since then 2 tornados have gotten very close. But only once did we head for the safe room and it was over before we got in. It was the middle of the night.
Some of the neighbors sort of grinned at us for building the safe room but on occasion when nasty storms are forecast a couple have asked if they could come over if it started getting bad. We would take all we could fit but the room is not that big.
The aftermath of the storms yesterday east of here is bad and prayers for our neighbors is still needed. We have a niece who has still not been able to get to her house. No idea if it is even standing.
Some of the neighbors sort of grinned at us for building the safe room but on occasion when nasty storms are forecast a couple have asked if they could come over if it started getting bad. We would take all we could fit but the room is not that big.
The aftermath of the storms yesterday east of here is bad and prayers for our neighbors is still needed. We have a niece who has still not been able to get to her house. No idea if it is even standing.
I think that this may also be a "Divine Intervention" situation.
I've read Lt. Faulkner's posts for many years and I believe that for whatever reasons, he was sent to the Little Rock area to be there to assist those who need him the most. In these situations there are never enough "First Responders" to provide help and assistance.
I also believe that Daisy is "on duty" 24X7 watching over Mrs. Faulkner until he returns.
Bill
I've read Lt. Faulkner's posts for many years and I believe that for whatever reasons, he was sent to the Little Rock area to be there to assist those who need him the most. In these situations there are never enough "First Responders" to provide help and assistance.
I also believe that Daisy is "on duty" 24X7 watching over Mrs. Faulkner until he returns.
Bill
Bought my first house in April 2008. On Mothers Day it was damaged by a tornado that hit Macon, GA. It was three days before it was possible for me to get to the house. My house was intact, roof damage, etc. On the same block houses were ripped pieces, people killed/injured. Took months to remove all the downed trees, etc. The VFW electric sign on the other side of Eisenhower Parkway was in my backyard. They came and loaded it up and moved it out. Will say, Hartford Insurance was wonderful. No fiddling around. Paid everything w/ no arguments, etc.
My heart goes out to the folks who have now had their lives turned upside down by these tornados. May God help them. Sincerely. bruce.
My heart goes out to the folks who have now had their lives turned upside down by these tornados. May God help them. Sincerely. bruce.
OP
Faulkner
Member
Well, what started out to be a day trip to Little Rock for some business at the state capital turned into two and a half days in the middle of a devastating event. I ended up helping with search and rescue in some of my old teenage stomping grounds Friday night and into Saturday morning.
I grabbed a couple of hours shuteye in my car and then went to an old college buddy's home and helped him cut a large pine tree that had blown over onto his home. As we were removing some debris off his roof I deflected a large piece of metal as it slid off with my forearm that earned me deep gash. I have an extensive first aide kit in my go-bag and was able to clean and dress it. Fortunately, I'd had a tetanus shot not long ago.
By mid afternoon we had gotten a tarp tacked in place over the hole in my buddy's roof and the broken windows boarded up. We got the place cleaned up enough that he and his family could occupy it albeit without power until the utilities are restored. With the sun headed down the roads were cleared up enough that I could work my way out of town and head towards home.
I've been engaged in many devastating storm scenes in my career, including a stint in Orleans Parish after Katrina and several killer tornados in Arkansas, but as I drove through the storm damaged area it was heartbreaking to see the damage and destruction in parts of my old hometown.
Took me about two and a half hours to make it home, but after hug and a quick look at my arm Mrs. Faulkner made me turn around and head back to the local ER to have it examined. An hour and half later I returned home with a dozen stitches.
As I'm winding down in my recliner with my iPad in my lap my key takeaway from the experience is I'm glad I am diligent about having my go-bag with me whenever I leave home. Everything from food, water, work gloves, change of clothes, suntan lotion, tooth brush & paste, and first aide kit all came in handy.
I also just saw the post about Bigwheelzip, God bless her family in this time.
I grabbed a couple of hours shuteye in my car and then went to an old college buddy's home and helped him cut a large pine tree that had blown over onto his home. As we were removing some debris off his roof I deflected a large piece of metal as it slid off with my forearm that earned me deep gash. I have an extensive first aide kit in my go-bag and was able to clean and dress it. Fortunately, I'd had a tetanus shot not long ago.
By mid afternoon we had gotten a tarp tacked in place over the hole in my buddy's roof and the broken windows boarded up. We got the place cleaned up enough that he and his family could occupy it albeit without power until the utilities are restored. With the sun headed down the roads were cleared up enough that I could work my way out of town and head towards home.
I've been engaged in many devastating storm scenes in my career, including a stint in Orleans Parish after Katrina and several killer tornados in Arkansas, but as I drove through the storm damaged area it was heartbreaking to see the damage and destruction in parts of my old hometown.
Took me about two and a half hours to make it home, but after hug and a quick look at my arm Mrs. Faulkner made me turn around and head back to the local ER to have it examined. An hour and half later I returned home with a dozen stitches.
As I'm winding down in my recliner with my iPad in my lap my key takeaway from the experience is I'm glad I am diligent about having my go-bag with me whenever I leave home. Everything from food, water, work gloves, change of clothes, suntan lotion, tooth brush & paste, and first aide kit all came in handy.
I also just saw the post about Bigwheelzip, God bless her family in this time.
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Faulkner, God bless you.
Puller
Member
I'm inclined to agree!
My daughter lives in Sherwood AR, which is between N. LR and Jacksonville. High winds knocked trees onto houses and vehicles on her street but she was OK.
On April 3, 1974 I was sitting in a bar South of Dayton when the news of what turned out to be an EF 5 ripped through Arrowhead sub-division in Xenia where my brother lived. They had Hwy 35 blocked off so I could not get through to him. My parents lived in Beavercreek so I holed up with them until we heard from Don. When I finally got into Xenia my brothers house was untouched, Two houses down from him, and the rest of the houses on his street were GONE. Nothing but slabs. A good friend lived above the camera shop across from the court house in Xenia. Freight train cars were scattered about like toys. That day in 1974 was the largest tornado outbreak in our history.
You can't imagine how I felt when I heard about the disaster in little Rock. I immediately called my daughter and she and her kids are just fine. Thank God.
On April 3, 1974 I was sitting in a bar South of Dayton when the news of what turned out to be an EF 5 ripped through Arrowhead sub-division in Xenia where my brother lived. They had Hwy 35 blocked off so I could not get through to him. My parents lived in Beavercreek so I holed up with them until we heard from Don. When I finally got into Xenia my brothers house was untouched, Two houses down from him, and the rest of the houses on his street were GONE. Nothing but slabs. A good friend lived above the camera shop across from the court house in Xenia. Freight train cars were scattered about like toys. That day in 1974 was the largest tornado outbreak in our history.
You can't imagine how I felt when I heard about the disaster in little Rock. I immediately called my daughter and she and her kids are just fine. Thank God.
It missed me by half a mile. By the time it reached my area east of Cabot it had lost most of it's strength so homes near me had a few trees down and some minor damage to the homes. Nothing like the devastation in LR, NLR, Sherwood and Jacksonville.
OP
Faulkner
Member
Being from the area I've talked to dozens of people who were impacted by tornado in Little Rock. Men who grew up in tornado prone areas learn from early childhood that when the warning sirens go off the first thing you do is go out on the front porch and see what's going on. Mrs. Faulkner goes nuts when I do this, I usually shrug and tell her I can't help it, it's breed into us.
I called one of my buddies who lives in the area to check on he and his family. He said he had just gotten home with a sack of tacos from Taco Bell and had sat down at the kitchen table to eat when the warning sirens went off. He got up and went out on his front porch to see what was happening when it started raining hard and blowing sideways, then he heard the oft described "train locomotive" sound. He dove back inside and slammed the door when he heard a very loud BAM, BANG, BAM on his house as he hit the floor. In only a few seconds it was over.
He got up and went to the kitchen and was surprised to see open sky where his kitchen ceiling used to be, and a huge tree had fallen onto the kitchen table and chair where he had been sitting only a minute before. He said he would be dead if he'd still been sitting there.
Funny thing though, the bag of tacos were still there so he opened the bag and finished them off while they were still warm.
I called one of my buddies who lives in the area to check on he and his family. He said he had just gotten home with a sack of tacos from Taco Bell and had sat down at the kitchen table to eat when the warning sirens went off. He got up and went out on his front porch to see what was happening when it started raining hard and blowing sideways, then he heard the oft described "train locomotive" sound. He dove back inside and slammed the door when he heard a very loud BAM, BANG, BAM on his house as he hit the floor. In only a few seconds it was over.
He got up and went to the kitchen and was surprised to see open sky where his kitchen ceiling used to be, and a huge tree had fallen onto the kitchen table and chair where he had been sitting only a minute before. He said he would be dead if he'd still been sitting there.
Funny thing though, the bag of tacos were still there so he opened the bag and finished them off while they were still warm.
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Near misses... turned right instead of left, sat instead of stood, caught a red light.
I get spooked when I recall them, not much better reading about others.
Glad your buddy and his'ns are OK.
I get spooked when I recall them, not much better reading about others.
Glad your buddy and his'ns are OK.
@Faulkner. I would be interested in reading about the contents of your go bag especially the medical supplies. I have a couple of unused backpacks that were given as gifts (Three actually but one of them I am using as a range bag for a couple of guns). We have a tornado safe room built under our porch in the basement so we are not bugging out. A emergency medical backpack of sorts would be handy though if the neighbors get hit.
Yep. I have spent too many years as a storm spotter so I watch the clouds closely. I did stayed dry at the tornado I recorded with my cellphone coming at our house last year. We had just finished a room addition that has two large windows facing the south so I recorded the tornado from inside the house. My wife was also upset I didn't go to the basement but it wasn't close enough and lifted up before it got too close.
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OP
Faulkner
Member
I am not an EMT and have only had basic first aid training for LEO's, but I've seen and encountered situations that needed immediate attention when the EMT's were still a ways out. I carried store bought first aid kits for years until I eventually realized I didn't use 3/4's of the stuff in them, so I started assembling my own based on what I found I was using along with a few things I hope I never have to use.
Two combat application tourniquets.
BleedStop First Aid Powder
Lots of large bandages
Gauze pads and compressed gauze dressings
Package of 4x4 quickclot gauze bandages
Several rolls of gauze wrap
A couple of rolls of athletic tape and a couple of rolls of medical paper tape
A box of multi-sized bandaids
A couple of tubes of antibiotic ointment
EMT shears
A dozen black nitrile gloves
4 instant cold packs
Super glue
Emergency would closure ZIP stitch sutures
Bottle of Bayer aspirin tablets
I keep all that in various pouches in my go-bag backpacks, and I have a three of them. One each for my patrol car, my personal vehicle, and my wife's car. I've spent a great deal of time contemplating about what I put in my go-bags.
Pictured below is my go-bag I keep in my personal vehicle, while the go-bag I keep in Mrs. Faulkner's car is about 50% larger than this one. I would say they are filled with 1/3rd first aid, 1/3rd emergency food, and 1/3rd emergency equipment. It is probably a whole other thread to discuss the topicc of go-bags.
I also have a molle hanger behind the drivers seat of my patrol car and my pickup that has additional first aid and emergency supplies for quick access.
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