The storms that raced through the DC Metro area yesterday proved to be deadly. A man was killed in Annandale when a tree was toppled over onto his car. I was working at TicketPlace, and nervous as I could be about Matt and Buddha's safety. It was frustrating to me, because I was in DC, and not able to be home to take care of Buddha. I wanted nothing more than to go home and make sure he was OK, in case something happened. Then I hear that there is a tornado in Falls Church headed toward Arlington, and I was INSANE with fear for my poor little puppy alone in our house. My head would flash nightmare images at me, including the old pine tree in our back yard falling into the house.
Round one of the storm was very strong, and the lightning was very intense. Also the wind, which seemed to blow the rain horizontally. Trees in front of TicketPlace bowed to the ground. When the first round was over, we had a break for a few hours, and I worked extra hard to make sure that all of my closing work was done timely so that I could get out of TicketPlace and get home before round 2 hit.
I took the metro Orange Line towards Vienna and LORD WAS IT PACKED! We were jammed in there like sardines to the point that I had to close my eyes just to not freak out from claustrophobia. When I got to the Kennedy Center (where I parked) I pulled out of the garage just as the rain from round 2 started. I white knuckled it all the way home as lightning struck trees literally right outside my window on the parkway. I was terrified.
By the time that I was almost home, round 2 had already started to ease up. I parked my car and by then had already talked to Matt, who informed me that power was out at our house. Since we usually cook Buddha his dinner, and that was going to be an impossibility, I decided to walk over to Bradlee Shopping center and pick up a can of something for Buddha to eat. Getting there I saw that the power was out for the entire shopping center. I started to walk back to my house and for a moment pondered walking to 7-11, but the sky was threatening looking and rain had started falling again, so I headed home. Halfway home it started pouring down, and I began to run.
I lit candles (Mine is the best house to be in when the power goes out, ps)and listened to WTOP on my NOAA Weather Radio. I also broke out my LED flashlight, which is the best damn flashlight that I have ever owned; brighter than a regular one, and it lasts FOREVER.
Round 3 was not as bad as the previous 2, but boasted some pretty scary lightning all the same.
My nerves were so frazzled from the stress of the day. I can't tell you how jangled I felt. By 10PM, I was exhausted. I sat and read by flashlight with Buddha (who was also scared, ps) cuddled on my lap. It's funny how every once in awhile we get a storm like that, almost like Mother Nature sits up and reminds you who is in charge. A storm like that can stop everything dead in its tracks. TV's are off, lights are off, life itself stands still until the storm has had it's say and rolls on. I guess I wish that the storm didn't have so much to say, however.
By 10:15PM, miraculously, the power came back on. Buddha was brought a dinner from the 7-11 by Matt, that consisted of: a hot dog, ham, and a container of Caesar's dog food. Buddha seemed thrilled to both eat and watch TV again. I know that there are many still without power, and hope that all of that is fixed soon. It was a roller coaster of a day for me, the like of which I hope not to experience again any time soon. Anyone else have any storm stories from yesterday? Tell us about them!
Also - here is some useful information for all of you Arlington residents, brought to me by Arlington Alert:
Downed Power Lines: After a storm look for any downed power lines before cutting up any debris. To report downed power lines, contact Virginia Power at 1-888-667-3000.
Safety Message: When traffic lights are not working at intersections, treat them as a 4-way stop.
Debris Removal: To have debris collected from your property, please follow normal brush collection procedures. Go to www.arlingtonva.us/DES or call 703-228-6570 and select Option 2 to request a brush collection. Debris is collected on your regular trash collection day by request only. For more information, visit www.arlingtonva.us/des
The Weather Channel also featured a video segment on the Capitol Area's Wednesday storms.
There you have it folks.
Stephen, your storm watch reporter. ;)
Sources: The Washington Post, Arlington Alert, The Weather Channel.
2 comments:
Mine wasn't as harried as yours, but harried still. I got a little nervous looking at the sky from my Rosslyn offices, and this was round two comin' on in. I said to myself, "Self, get the **** up outta here 'cause this looks all wrong!" I sneaked out of work a little early (anonymity is useful at times, huh?) to catch the Blue line. People seemed chilled out. People in this area are uptight as hell, so I figured seeing them cool was, well, cool. Finally I caught a bus and got home. As I'm walking home from the bus stop I hear the rumbles of thunder, but I'm almost home, so I'm cool. Ten minutes later I'm in the house and it's lightening and thundering with down pours, and I thank God. My power didn't go out, and I had no fallen trees, but the damn gutters were misbehaving. I'll have my gutter guy take a look at them. I couldn't even reach him today. Duh! I wonder why.
Glad things worked out for you, and your pet. I feel for the gentleman (and his family) who was killed by the tree that fell. You're right. Mother Nature periodically issues her wake up calls. And it frightens us. We need to be kinder to each other, as well as ourselves. Peace.
Anon...agreed with that last paragraph!
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