I am so tired.
It was a long, but very tiring weekend for me. Friday evening, I did not do much, except get my equipment and truck ready for a full weekend of working in the tornado damaged areas in Piedmont and Cashion. Most of the damage was south of Cashion, closer to the outskirts of Piedmont. Myself and several of my Central Oklahoma REACT team members spent all day Saturday, assisting the First Baptist Church of Cashion in delivering bottled water, snacks, gloves and anything else that would be useful for those that were cleaning up the tornado damaged areas. Words and pictures can’t possibly describe the devastation that I witnessed. I took lots of pictures (which are posted on my Facebook page), but even the pictures don’t do it justice. There were homes that were leveled to where even the plumbing was stripped completely out. Other homes received major damage, but still had a few walls up.
Our team, with the assistance from the Cashion, Oklahoma Fire Department, drove to many different areas of Piedmont and delivered much needed supplies. The attitudes of those homeowners that lost their homes were very upbeat. They were just happy and felt blessed that they were still alive. Many were still in shock because they lost everything, but were happy to live and tell about it. As we drove through the neighborhoods, the clean-up efforts continued, with hundreds of people pitching in to help. There is debris scattered all over the country side. I really don’t see how they can get every piece of debris picked up. There is debris in trees that can’t be reached. I think most people are just concentrating on their homes right now and once they get their homes cleaned up, then they may work on removing debris from their property. Either way, it will be very time consuming.
We were blessed to be served a nice not lunch by the members of the First Christian Church of Cashion. They were serving food to all the families involved in the tornadoes and to the volunteer workers. Our team enjoyed a nice, hot, meal with lots of food and good desserts. After eating, we went right back to work and continued our deliveries. By around 6:00 pm, things were starting to wind down and we were all very tired. We decided to call it a day and all the REACT members headed home. We had already decided that we were not going to work in Piedmont on Sunday because we all needed a day to rest and relax.
On Sunday, I did absolutely nothing but go to church. I took a very long nap in the afternoon and then made it up in time to head back to the church for our fifth Sunday night sing-a-long. Around 15 members of our church participated in either singing a solo, duet, or reading a poem. Our men’s quartet also sang and had a good time. I sang with the quartet, as well as singing a solo, “Because He Lives.” We all had a great time and then enjoyed a time of fellowship afterwards with snacks, desserts and ice cream.
I was up at 6:30 on Monday morning and got ready to head back up to Piedmont. I filled up my truck with gas, grabbed a donut at 7-11 and headed to north OKC to meet up with some fellow REACT members. We headed on up to the First Baptist Church of Cashion and picked up more supplies to deliver to the tornado victims. As we drove through the areas that were destroyed by the tornado, we noticed there were very few people out working. We assumed that maybe many of them worked all day Sunday and decided to take Monday off, since it was a holiday. There were a few people working, but none of them needed any supplies. There were many different organizations delivering supplies, so all of the tornado victims were being taken care of and did not need anything from us. We enjoyed a hamburger cook-out at a building in Piedmont where they were serving tornado victims and volunteers. After we ate, we headed back up to the Falcon Lake area and stayed around there the rest of the afternoon, assisting families in going through the debris.
Around 6 pm, I decided that my body was too tired to go on, so I left the area. Before I left, I came upon a reporter from channel 4, Marika Lorraine. Last week, myself and a couple of REACT members met up with her when we were out storm spotting. She is a very nice lady and very personable. I had a chance to talk with her briefly last evening after she interviewed a couple who lost their home in the tornado. She gave me one of her business cards so I could contact her directly about any breaking news. I left the area and headed back to Piedmont, where we had the cook-out. I was going to meet up with Jessica Holloway, a reporter from channel 5 who interviewed me last month during the wildfires in north east Oklahoma County. When I arrived, they were doing a live shot for the news, so I waited around until they finished….then I had a chance to speak with her. I even had a friend take a picture of me and her together. I did not do any interviews yesterday, but it was sure good seeing those two nice and attractive ladies.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
CERT Training
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Details of our Search and Rescue at Piedmont
It was a sad ending…..
Last evening, myself and 8 of my fellow Central Oklahoma REACT members took part in the search and rescue efforts, trying to locate the missing 3 year-old boy from Piedmont. I arrived at the command post at 17:00 and checked in. Some of our team had already been there all day searching for the boy, while others of us arrived in the afternoon to relieve them. While we waited for our assignments, four of us were able to drive to ground zero (where the tornado destroyed the homes) and check the area out. The things I saw were unimaginable. I have never seen such devastation in my life. Homes were leveled and all kinds of debris was hanging in the trees. There were nice cars that had been reduced to junk and lots of debris in the lake. I had the opportunity to take some pictures, which I will post on Facebook later today.
After about 30 minutes at ground zero, another REACT member contacted me by radio and asked our group to return to the command post for further assignments. By the time I arrived at the command post, we had around 12 members of our REACT team ready to go out and do some search and rescue. The team members that had been there all day searching, were allowed to leave the scene and the rest of us stayed to receive our assignments. We broke up in two different teams of six and each team had a search and rescue dog (plus its handler). We started out searching on the north side of Waterloo Rd, which was directly across from ground zero. With the dogs in front of us, we searched every place…in and under trees, under debris, in the creek area and near the road. Then, they decided to reassign us to ground zero and start searching there.
By the time we started searching ground zero, it started getting dark. With the dog and handler in front of us, we all followed behind with our flashlights on. The dog was turned loose at every house and we watched as he carefully walked through the debris, searching for any type of scent. Once he finished his initial search, we came in behind him and went through the debris ourselves. Any time the dog would give a signal that he possibly had something, we would flag the area as a an area of interest so it could be rechecked when it was daylight. It was very dark where we were at, so flashlights were all we had for light. It did become a challenge many times because of all the debris we were walking through. We were fortunate nobody got hurt or stepped on a nail.
At one point, we went to the west shoreline and started checking out some large debris at the edge. The dog started hitting on something, so all of us on the team gathered around the debris and started looking. A couple of searchers actually got in the water and skimmed it with their hands to see what they could find, while others were on the shore moving debris around. We spent about thirty minutes at that one spot, searching for anything…but with the darkness and the murky water, we could not find anything. By the time we finished in the area, we had covered a whole block.
Finally, at around 10 pm, we were called by incident command and told we needed to wrap it up and report back to the command center. We weren’t ready to go…..we wanted to find the boy so bad. When we left, we had a feeling of failure. Our gut instincts were telling us that boy was in the water in the area we spent so much time looking. But, without good daylight and some heavy equipment, there was nothing we could do. The debris was a huge tree and trunk that could not be moved by a human. We left the area and arrived back at command at 10:30 pm. We were then released by incident command.
This morning, I really had a hard time getting up. I was still frustrated that we hadn’t found the boy and I was also tired and exhausted from the search. I made it to work and started my daily work routine. At around 8:30 am, I received an email from a co-worker, informing me they had found the boy….and he was not alive. I immediately contacted one of our REACT members that was on the scene to get more details.
I found out that early this morning, four search and rescue dogs were searching the same area by the shore line we had flagged the night before. During the search, while the dogs were in the water, they stirred the water ……….and it somehow caused the boy’s body to come free from the debris and he floated to the edge of the lake. Yes, where we spent 30 minutes the night before looking, was where the boy was at. Since he was caught up under the debris, we could not have seen him if we tried. If it had not been for the four dogs stirring up the water, he still would not have been found.
During the search last night, the boys aunt, uncle and other relatives, were with us searching. It was an emotional time for everyone involved. I can’t imagine being a parent, searching for my lost child, knowing that the results could turn out to be bad news.
www.okcentralreact.org
Last evening, myself and 8 of my fellow Central Oklahoma REACT members took part in the search and rescue efforts, trying to locate the missing 3 year-old boy from Piedmont. I arrived at the command post at 17:00 and checked in. Some of our team had already been there all day searching for the boy, while others of us arrived in the afternoon to relieve them. While we waited for our assignments, four of us were able to drive to ground zero (where the tornado destroyed the homes) and check the area out. The things I saw were unimaginable. I have never seen such devastation in my life. Homes were leveled and all kinds of debris was hanging in the trees. There were nice cars that had been reduced to junk and lots of debris in the lake. I had the opportunity to take some pictures, which I will post on Facebook later today.
After about 30 minutes at ground zero, another REACT member contacted me by radio and asked our group to return to the command post for further assignments. By the time I arrived at the command post, we had around 12 members of our REACT team ready to go out and do some search and rescue. The team members that had been there all day searching, were allowed to leave the scene and the rest of us stayed to receive our assignments. We broke up in two different teams of six and each team had a search and rescue dog (plus its handler). We started out searching on the north side of Waterloo Rd, which was directly across from ground zero. With the dogs in front of us, we searched every place…in and under trees, under debris, in the creek area and near the road. Then, they decided to reassign us to ground zero and start searching there.
By the time we started searching ground zero, it started getting dark. With the dog and handler in front of us, we all followed behind with our flashlights on. The dog was turned loose at every house and we watched as he carefully walked through the debris, searching for any type of scent. Once he finished his initial search, we came in behind him and went through the debris ourselves. Any time the dog would give a signal that he possibly had something, we would flag the area as a an area of interest so it could be rechecked when it was daylight. It was very dark where we were at, so flashlights were all we had for light. It did become a challenge many times because of all the debris we were walking through. We were fortunate nobody got hurt or stepped on a nail.
At one point, we went to the west shoreline and started checking out some large debris at the edge. The dog started hitting on something, so all of us on the team gathered around the debris and started looking. A couple of searchers actually got in the water and skimmed it with their hands to see what they could find, while others were on the shore moving debris around. We spent about thirty minutes at that one spot, searching for anything…but with the darkness and the murky water, we could not find anything. By the time we finished in the area, we had covered a whole block.
Finally, at around 10 pm, we were called by incident command and told we needed to wrap it up and report back to the command center. We weren’t ready to go…..we wanted to find the boy so bad. When we left, we had a feeling of failure. Our gut instincts were telling us that boy was in the water in the area we spent so much time looking. But, without good daylight and some heavy equipment, there was nothing we could do. The debris was a huge tree and trunk that could not be moved by a human. We left the area and arrived back at command at 10:30 pm. We were then released by incident command.
This morning, I really had a hard time getting up. I was still frustrated that we hadn’t found the boy and I was also tired and exhausted from the search. I made it to work and started my daily work routine. At around 8:30 am, I received an email from a co-worker, informing me they had found the boy….and he was not alive. I immediately contacted one of our REACT members that was on the scene to get more details.
I found out that early this morning, four search and rescue dogs were searching the same area by the shore line we had flagged the night before. During the search, while the dogs were in the water, they stirred the water ……….and it somehow caused the boy’s body to come free from the debris and he floated to the edge of the lake. Yes, where we spent 30 minutes the night before looking, was where the boy was at. Since he was caught up under the debris, we could not have seen him if we tried. If it had not been for the four dogs stirring up the water, he still would not have been found.
During the search last night, the boys aunt, uncle and other relatives, were with us searching. It was an emotional time for everyone involved. I can’t imagine being a parent, searching for my lost child, knowing that the results could turn out to be bad news.
www.okcentralreact.org
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Tornado Outbreak 5-24-11
My day of storm spotting:
I left the office at 4 pm and started heading home. Since I-40 was at a stand-still because of all the people getting off work early and trying to beat the storm home, I decided to take May Ave. Unfortunately, it wasn’t any better. It usually takes me 15 minutes to get home (I live just south of OCCC), but on this day, it took me 45 minutes. I finally reached my house at 4:45 pm and gathered up my storm spotting equipment. At around 5:15 pm, I met up with a fellow REACT member and storm spotter at OCCC. We always try to go out in pairs, so one spotter has a laptop with radar on it, while the other spotter drives. That way, the passenger with the laptop does the navigating and lets the driver know where to drive to stay out of danger. By that time, south Oklahoma County was under a tornado warning and many of the tornadoes that were forming were rain wrapped, making it very difficult to see them. As I spoke to my partner, we assessed the situation and determined that tornadoes were forming too quickly and moving too fast for us to keep up with. If we went south or west, we knew we would get trapped in the storm. If we had been able to pull out and start spotting at 4:30 pm, we could have made it to the west side of the storms before the tornadoes started forming and spotted as they entered the south part of the metro. We decided that the news media was already on top of this and we were in a danger zone, so we took cover.
Immediately after the storm went by SW OKC, we headed down to Newcastle, Oklahoma to check on the damage there. As we pulled into the town, police and Highway Patrol already had the main street blocked off. We identified ourselves to them as Central Oklahoma REACT members and they allowed us to pass through the road block to go assist in triage. When we arrived at triage, paramedics were standing by. We learned that nobody had been transported to any hospitals and that no injuries had been reported, so we went to meet up with the fire chief for an assignment, who in turn referred us to his Emergency Management supervisor. We identified ourselves to him and informed him we were there to assist in any way. He told us that everything was taken care of, so we left Newcastle. We already had REACT members in Piedmont, so we decided to see if we could assist the smaller towns. Initial reports were that Noble, Washington and Goldsby took a direct hit from the tornado, so we headed to Noble to see where we could assist.
Once we arrived in Noble, we saw no damage. We stopped at the police station and they advised us that Noble did not get hit by a tornado. After they made a few phone calls, they were informed that neither Goldsby nor Washington got hit either. So, we decided to head back to Oklahoma City. Since there was no search and rescue efforts in south OKC and several of our REACT team members were already assisting in Piedmont, I decided to call it a night.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
I left the office at 4 pm and started heading home. Since I-40 was at a stand-still because of all the people getting off work early and trying to beat the storm home, I decided to take May Ave. Unfortunately, it wasn’t any better. It usually takes me 15 minutes to get home (I live just south of OCCC), but on this day, it took me 45 minutes. I finally reached my house at 4:45 pm and gathered up my storm spotting equipment. At around 5:15 pm, I met up with a fellow REACT member and storm spotter at OCCC. We always try to go out in pairs, so one spotter has a laptop with radar on it, while the other spotter drives. That way, the passenger with the laptop does the navigating and lets the driver know where to drive to stay out of danger. By that time, south Oklahoma County was under a tornado warning and many of the tornadoes that were forming were rain wrapped, making it very difficult to see them. As I spoke to my partner, we assessed the situation and determined that tornadoes were forming too quickly and moving too fast for us to keep up with. If we went south or west, we knew we would get trapped in the storm. If we had been able to pull out and start spotting at 4:30 pm, we could have made it to the west side of the storms before the tornadoes started forming and spotted as they entered the south part of the metro. We decided that the news media was already on top of this and we were in a danger zone, so we took cover.
Immediately after the storm went by SW OKC, we headed down to Newcastle, Oklahoma to check on the damage there. As we pulled into the town, police and Highway Patrol already had the main street blocked off. We identified ourselves to them as Central Oklahoma REACT members and they allowed us to pass through the road block to go assist in triage. When we arrived at triage, paramedics were standing by. We learned that nobody had been transported to any hospitals and that no injuries had been reported, so we went to meet up with the fire chief for an assignment, who in turn referred us to his Emergency Management supervisor. We identified ourselves to him and informed him we were there to assist in any way. He told us that everything was taken care of, so we left Newcastle. We already had REACT members in Piedmont, so we decided to see if we could assist the smaller towns. Initial reports were that Noble, Washington and Goldsby took a direct hit from the tornado, so we headed to Noble to see where we could assist.
North side of the gym at First Baptist Church in Newcastle
East side of gym at FBC in Newcastle
North side of gym
A field just north of the FBC gym
This used to be a billboard on the east side of Main Street in Newcastle
Once we arrived in Noble, we saw no damage. We stopped at the police station and they advised us that Noble did not get hit by a tornado. After they made a few phone calls, they were informed that neither Goldsby nor Washington got hit either. So, we decided to head back to Oklahoma City. Since there was no search and rescue efforts in south OKC and several of our REACT team members were already assisting in Piedmont, I decided to call it a night.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
The weekend went by faster than I wanted it to.
I spent my Saturday morning at a car show at central Hillcrest Baptist Church in south OKC. Myself and another REACT member actually entered our storm spotting/chasing vehicles in the show. We were just there to show off our trucks and to pass out our brochures…..we were not there to win any prize. We were there from 8:30 am until around 1 pm. We had a great time and I got all kinds of pictures of old cars and trucks. The rest of the day was spent relaxing at home and doing a little work outside. That evening, at around 8:00 pm, I went over to our music minister’s house and watched the OKC Thunder play basketball. Unfortunately, they lost the game.
Sunday morning, during the worship service, the church recognized all of the graduating seniors. All the seniors wore their cap and gown and were recognized during the service. After the service, the church treated the seniors and their parents to lunch at the Golden Corral. Also during the service, the men’s quartet (which I am a part of) had the opportunity to sing. We had so much fun, we decided to go ahead and sing again during the evening service.
After our lunch at Golden Corral, I headed back to the church for a 2:00 pm REACT team meeting. Since our fellowship hall is quite big and everybody knew where the church was located, we decided to have our team meeting there. We had a good meeting and got lots accomplished. After the meeting was quartet rehearsal and then church again.
Yesterday was a good day (except when I got the call that Karla had passed out at work and they took her to the hospital. Thankfully, she was ok and I picked her up from the hospital after I got off work). The weather was a big topic yesterday afternoon. Our area was in a slight risk area for severe weather, so I kept a good eye on it during the day. At around 2 pm, storms started developing and became severe rather quickly. After Karla and I had dinner at Perry’s, I met one of our other REACT members at OCCC and we headed out to do storm spotting.
Fortunately, he had a cell phone that was capable of pulling up the radar and he had his laptop with him so we could watch the radar on it as well. When you are out storm spotting, having access to radar information is mandatory. Nobody should ever go out storm spotting unless they have a way to see the radar. Since my partner had the laptop with radar on it, he was my navigator. He told me where to drive, where to turn and where to park for the best storm watching visibility. We ended up at NW Expressway and the Kilpatrick Turnpike, in Canadian County. We spotted for three hours and finally called it a night when the severe weather threat had diminished for the metro (around 9 pm).
Today, it is suppose to be much worse with a severe threat of tornadoes. I will be out spotting again, but I will be very careful and I will keeping tabs on my family.
www.okcentralreact.org
I spent my Saturday morning at a car show at central Hillcrest Baptist Church in south OKC. Myself and another REACT member actually entered our storm spotting/chasing vehicles in the show. We were just there to show off our trucks and to pass out our brochures…..we were not there to win any prize. We were there from 8:30 am until around 1 pm. We had a great time and I got all kinds of pictures of old cars and trucks. The rest of the day was spent relaxing at home and doing a little work outside. That evening, at around 8:00 pm, I went over to our music minister’s house and watched the OKC Thunder play basketball. Unfortunately, they lost the game.
Sunday morning, during the worship service, the church recognized all of the graduating seniors. All the seniors wore their cap and gown and were recognized during the service. After the service, the church treated the seniors and their parents to lunch at the Golden Corral. Also during the service, the men’s quartet (which I am a part of) had the opportunity to sing. We had so much fun, we decided to go ahead and sing again during the evening service.
After our lunch at Golden Corral, I headed back to the church for a 2:00 pm REACT team meeting. Since our fellowship hall is quite big and everybody knew where the church was located, we decided to have our team meeting there. We had a good meeting and got lots accomplished. After the meeting was quartet rehearsal and then church again.
Yesterday was a good day (except when I got the call that Karla had passed out at work and they took her to the hospital. Thankfully, she was ok and I picked her up from the hospital after I got off work). The weather was a big topic yesterday afternoon. Our area was in a slight risk area for severe weather, so I kept a good eye on it during the day. At around 2 pm, storms started developing and became severe rather quickly. After Karla and I had dinner at Perry’s, I met one of our other REACT members at OCCC and we headed out to do storm spotting.
Fortunately, he had a cell phone that was capable of pulling up the radar and he had his laptop with him so we could watch the radar on it as well. When you are out storm spotting, having access to radar information is mandatory. Nobody should ever go out storm spotting unless they have a way to see the radar. Since my partner had the laptop with radar on it, he was my navigator. He told me where to drive, where to turn and where to park for the best storm watching visibility. We ended up at NW Expressway and the Kilpatrick Turnpike, in Canadian County. We spotted for three hours and finally called it a night when the severe weather threat had diminished for the metro (around 9 pm).
Myself, Marika Lorraine (reporter for Channel 4), John Linley (REACT member)
Today, it is suppose to be much worse with a severe threat of tornadoes. I will be out spotting again, but I will be very careful and I will keeping tabs on my family.
www.okcentralreact.org
Friday, May 20, 2011
TGIF!!!!
TGIF….finally
Yesterday was an interesting day, weather-wise. At work, I kept a close eye on the radar and watched two different thunderstorms develop in south west Oklahoma and watched them turn severe. It all started at around 2 pm in western Oklahoma and the storms moved very slowly eastward. I was kind of glad they moved slowly because I had my CFAAA meeting to preside over and, since I missed last month’s meeting, I needed to make the one last night. On the way to my meeting, one of my REACT team members contacted me and advised he was on his way to OCCC to watch the storm come in. I knew it would be at least an hour or so before the storms moved in, so I headed to my meeting.
We had a great meeting and, as usual, the food was outstanding. We all ate, I conducted the meeting and then about 7:15 pm, I headed south to OCCC to spot the storms that were moving in. I actually stopped by my house first and let the dogs in. I knew if I didn’t, I would have some wet, smelly, dogs when I got home. As I entered the college parking lot, I drove around, trying to find a carport, awning, or something I could park my truck under in case of a bad hail storm. I found nothing. When I arrived at the place where we were storm spotting, I asked about a place to park our vehicles in case we had a bad hail storm. Fortunately, we were by a maintenance area of the campus that had a garage. They allowed me to park my truck inside. When the storm moved in, I sat in the truck of one of my REACT partners. I did get some pretty neat pictures, but as most of us know, my camera takes lousy pictures after dark.
It never did get that bad……heavy rains, lots of bright lightning and some pea sized hail. Most of the bigger hail cores were west and north of us, so they missed us. There was quite a bit of flash flooding and we did see a couple of vehicles on I-44 hydroplane and go off the road. We thought about driving over and seeing if we could assist, but then decided it was raining too hard and figured if the motorists were stupid enough to drive fast on the interstate during a rain storm, then they deserved to be sitting in a ditch. So, we sat and continued to watch the radar on Mike’s laptop and watched as one storm left our area and another storm was moving in. Since the second storm wasn’t as strong, we decided to call it a night and go home. When I got home, I looked in my backyard and it looked like a lake. My yard sits low anyway, so even a little amount of rain puddles my yard up.
This morning, I woke up to the sound of thunder (and my alarm). Just listening to the rain fall and the thunder made me want to stay in bed. I knew, though, I needed to get up, shower, feed the dogs and take the trash out. So, I got up and started my morning routine. I left the house to go to work and got on the interstate. As I started going east bound on I-40 (approaching May Ave), traffic started stopping. I was in the middle lane and it seems as those in the right hand lane were moving over. Then, I spotted a stranded vehicle in the right hand lane. I turned on my emergency light, pulled in behind the care and approached the driver to see what the problem was.
It was a lady in her 50’s and she said her car had died on her and she could not get it started. She had her son on the way to help, but I knew the car needed to be moved off the interstate. As I got back in my truck, I started to call OHP, when a trooper pulled up behind me. I got out of my truck, explained to him the situation and then got back in my truck. I was no longer needed, so I pulled back into traffic and went to work.
In other news…
My co-worker and I were having a discussion this morning about people that make poor choices or poor decisions. I read in the news all the time where people are getting shot or stabbed at their house, or especially at bars. Many of these shootings/stabbings at homes are either domestic or gang-related. I have no sympathy for these people because they are where they are because of bad judgment and bad decisions. It’s the same way at a bar. Since alcohol is served at a bar, it is more probable that someone will drink too much, get drunk and try to start an argument or a fight with an unsuspecting patron. Most people go to bars to relax and have a drink…they don’t expect to get shot and killed….but….when you go to establishments like bars, you are taking your life in your own hands.
We live and die by the choices and decisions we make. You can choose to go celebrate at a bar, but you never know when someone is going to come into that same bar and cause problems. It’s a place to drink and play games, but some people do not play fair. Tempers flare up and the next thing you know, a knife or gun comes out and chaos breaks lose. I am not saying all bars are this way, but many of them are. The fact is, if you go to a bar, expect the worst. It may never happen, but the atmosphere is primed for violence.
If you choose to take a walk at 3 am in the morning, be prepared for trouble. Most criminals and thugs are working at this hour. It doesn’t matter what part of the city you live in, there is always the possibility of being mugged, jumped, or robbed, while walking down a street early in the morning. For ladies…you especially need to be careful because you are a perfect target for someone who wants to commit the crime of rape. Ladies should never walk alone after dark…..I would even suggest ladies not walk by themselves during the daylight. There are too many things that can happen. Unfortunately, common sense is not something people depend on anymore. It’s common sense not to walk somewhere by yourself after dark and it is common sense not to go to a bar when you know bad things happen at those places. Be safe and use common sense.
www.okcentralreact.org
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
Yesterday was an interesting day, weather-wise. At work, I kept a close eye on the radar and watched two different thunderstorms develop in south west Oklahoma and watched them turn severe. It all started at around 2 pm in western Oklahoma and the storms moved very slowly eastward. I was kind of glad they moved slowly because I had my CFAAA meeting to preside over and, since I missed last month’s meeting, I needed to make the one last night. On the way to my meeting, one of my REACT team members contacted me and advised he was on his way to OCCC to watch the storm come in. I knew it would be at least an hour or so before the storms moved in, so I headed to my meeting.
We had a great meeting and, as usual, the food was outstanding. We all ate, I conducted the meeting and then about 7:15 pm, I headed south to OCCC to spot the storms that were moving in. I actually stopped by my house first and let the dogs in. I knew if I didn’t, I would have some wet, smelly, dogs when I got home. As I entered the college parking lot, I drove around, trying to find a carport, awning, or something I could park my truck under in case of a bad hail storm. I found nothing. When I arrived at the place where we were storm spotting, I asked about a place to park our vehicles in case we had a bad hail storm. Fortunately, we were by a maintenance area of the campus that had a garage. They allowed me to park my truck inside. When the storm moved in, I sat in the truck of one of my REACT partners. I did get some pretty neat pictures, but as most of us know, my camera takes lousy pictures after dark.
It never did get that bad……heavy rains, lots of bright lightning and some pea sized hail. Most of the bigger hail cores were west and north of us, so they missed us. There was quite a bit of flash flooding and we did see a couple of vehicles on I-44 hydroplane and go off the road. We thought about driving over and seeing if we could assist, but then decided it was raining too hard and figured if the motorists were stupid enough to drive fast on the interstate during a rain storm, then they deserved to be sitting in a ditch. So, we sat and continued to watch the radar on Mike’s laptop and watched as one storm left our area and another storm was moving in. Since the second storm wasn’t as strong, we decided to call it a night and go home. When I got home, I looked in my backyard and it looked like a lake. My yard sits low anyway, so even a little amount of rain puddles my yard up.
This morning, I woke up to the sound of thunder (and my alarm). Just listening to the rain fall and the thunder made me want to stay in bed. I knew, though, I needed to get up, shower, feed the dogs and take the trash out. So, I got up and started my morning routine. I left the house to go to work and got on the interstate. As I started going east bound on I-40 (approaching May Ave), traffic started stopping. I was in the middle lane and it seems as those in the right hand lane were moving over. Then, I spotted a stranded vehicle in the right hand lane. I turned on my emergency light, pulled in behind the care and approached the driver to see what the problem was.
It was a lady in her 50’s and she said her car had died on her and she could not get it started. She had her son on the way to help, but I knew the car needed to be moved off the interstate. As I got back in my truck, I started to call OHP, when a trooper pulled up behind me. I got out of my truck, explained to him the situation and then got back in my truck. I was no longer needed, so I pulled back into traffic and went to work.
In other news…
My co-worker and I were having a discussion this morning about people that make poor choices or poor decisions. I read in the news all the time where people are getting shot or stabbed at their house, or especially at bars. Many of these shootings/stabbings at homes are either domestic or gang-related. I have no sympathy for these people because they are where they are because of bad judgment and bad decisions. It’s the same way at a bar. Since alcohol is served at a bar, it is more probable that someone will drink too much, get drunk and try to start an argument or a fight with an unsuspecting patron. Most people go to bars to relax and have a drink…they don’t expect to get shot and killed….but….when you go to establishments like bars, you are taking your life in your own hands.
We live and die by the choices and decisions we make. You can choose to go celebrate at a bar, but you never know when someone is going to come into that same bar and cause problems. It’s a place to drink and play games, but some people do not play fair. Tempers flare up and the next thing you know, a knife or gun comes out and chaos breaks lose. I am not saying all bars are this way, but many of them are. The fact is, if you go to a bar, expect the worst. It may never happen, but the atmosphere is primed for violence.
If you choose to take a walk at 3 am in the morning, be prepared for trouble. Most criminals and thugs are working at this hour. It doesn’t matter what part of the city you live in, there is always the possibility of being mugged, jumped, or robbed, while walking down a street early in the morning. For ladies…you especially need to be careful because you are a perfect target for someone who wants to commit the crime of rape. Ladies should never walk alone after dark…..I would even suggest ladies not walk by themselves during the daylight. There are too many things that can happen. Unfortunately, common sense is not something people depend on anymore. It’s common sense not to walk somewhere by yourself after dark and it is common sense not to go to a bar when you know bad things happen at those places. Be safe and use common sense.
www.okcentralreact.org
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
Thursday, May 19, 2011
It's Storm Season!!
Tis the season…..to have storms
Our weather in Oklahoma is so unpredictable. Yesterday, the forecasters said we would have no rain and no severe weather, but when I got off work, a tornado watch had been issued for Oklahoma County. I went home to get my storm spotting “equipment” all together, so I would be prepared in case our REACT team was activated. I was really surprised that a tornado watch had been issued for us when there was no severe weather in the state. Several of our REACT members took up positions and watched the clouds, in case something formed. I went on to church because I had to help with the youth service. When I was no longer needed, I left (around 7:15 pm) the church and headed towards OCCC, where two other team members were set up. When I arrived, I was notified by the other team members that the tornado watch had been canceled. We watched for another 30 minutes and called it a night. I am sure there was a good reason for the tornado watch, but as an amateur, I could not see it.
One thing that amazes me as I drive on the interstates and city streets (mainly the interstates) are the drivers that are stupid, ignorant and just plain idiotic. A speed limit means nothing to many drivers. Since my truck is very well marked as an Emergency Response unit, I have to watch my driving. I have to be the one to set the example for others. It does make it hard for me sometimes because I hate to see people get by with doing illegal stuff and I want to do something about it. But, my hands are tied. I see all this bad, wreck-less, driving on the interstate, but see very few OHP Troopers making traffic stops. My respect for OHP Troopers is rather low. They won’t help in correcting the problem by citing drivers, but they are quickly on scene when one of these idiots causes an accident and causes someone to lose their life. I just don’t understand why so many drivers feel they need to be driving faster than everyone or they have to be in front. And…to top it off, they don’t use their signal lights when they change lanes and their lane changes are dangerous.
Then, there are those that know they have to move over to the right-hand lane to exit, yet they wait until the last minute to move over and then wind up cutting another driver off. What’s so sad, is they think it’s funny and it does not bother them one bit. Everybody waits in a long line to get off at an exit and some idiot speeds up from the back of the line and squeezes in, making everyone slam on their brakes. The city driving is not that bad, although, you still have those that like to ride peoples’ bumpers. I can safely say I haven’t had an accident in over 20 years and the same with no tickets. I am a very careful driver and I take no chances. I am very observant when I drive and always watch the drivers around me. I don’t want to become a statistic.
Today is the start of a rainy 48 hours. At this time, there are severe storms in western Oklahoma and should be in OKC in a couple of hours. Right now, the main threat is large hail, heavy rain and lots of lightning. So far, no tornadic activity has been indicated with any of these storms. Once these storms leave our area tonight, we are just suppose to get rain only. As a matter of fact, it is suppose to rain all night tonight and all day tomorrow….which means it will be slow at work tomorrow. This evening, I have a CFAAA meeting on the north side of town, so we will see if I actually get to make the meeting, or if I wind up going storm spotting.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
Our weather in Oklahoma is so unpredictable. Yesterday, the forecasters said we would have no rain and no severe weather, but when I got off work, a tornado watch had been issued for Oklahoma County. I went home to get my storm spotting “equipment” all together, so I would be prepared in case our REACT team was activated. I was really surprised that a tornado watch had been issued for us when there was no severe weather in the state. Several of our REACT members took up positions and watched the clouds, in case something formed. I went on to church because I had to help with the youth service. When I was no longer needed, I left (around 7:15 pm) the church and headed towards OCCC, where two other team members were set up. When I arrived, I was notified by the other team members that the tornado watch had been canceled. We watched for another 30 minutes and called it a night. I am sure there was a good reason for the tornado watch, but as an amateur, I could not see it.
One thing that amazes me as I drive on the interstates and city streets (mainly the interstates) are the drivers that are stupid, ignorant and just plain idiotic. A speed limit means nothing to many drivers. Since my truck is very well marked as an Emergency Response unit, I have to watch my driving. I have to be the one to set the example for others. It does make it hard for me sometimes because I hate to see people get by with doing illegal stuff and I want to do something about it. But, my hands are tied. I see all this bad, wreck-less, driving on the interstate, but see very few OHP Troopers making traffic stops. My respect for OHP Troopers is rather low. They won’t help in correcting the problem by citing drivers, but they are quickly on scene when one of these idiots causes an accident and causes someone to lose their life. I just don’t understand why so many drivers feel they need to be driving faster than everyone or they have to be in front. And…to top it off, they don’t use their signal lights when they change lanes and their lane changes are dangerous.
Then, there are those that know they have to move over to the right-hand lane to exit, yet they wait until the last minute to move over and then wind up cutting another driver off. What’s so sad, is they think it’s funny and it does not bother them one bit. Everybody waits in a long line to get off at an exit and some idiot speeds up from the back of the line and squeezes in, making everyone slam on their brakes. The city driving is not that bad, although, you still have those that like to ride peoples’ bumpers. I can safely say I haven’t had an accident in over 20 years and the same with no tickets. I am a very careful driver and I take no chances. I am very observant when I drive and always watch the drivers around me. I don’t want to become a statistic.
Today is the start of a rainy 48 hours. At this time, there are severe storms in western Oklahoma and should be in OKC in a couple of hours. Right now, the main threat is large hail, heavy rain and lots of lightning. So far, no tornadic activity has been indicated with any of these storms. Once these storms leave our area tonight, we are just suppose to get rain only. As a matter of fact, it is suppose to rain all night tonight and all day tomorrow….which means it will be slow at work tomorrow. This evening, I have a CFAAA meeting on the north side of town, so we will see if I actually get to make the meeting, or if I wind up going storm spotting.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
In Memory of Alan Calhoun
I noticed this morning that it had been 6 days since I last posted anything. It has been busy….
Last Friday, we had a new employee join our dispatch team at work. She has been with the City for 20 years, but they were doing away with her position, so she had no choice but to come here. It was either come to work here, or no longer have a job. She used to be a dispatcher and can type 70 words per minute, so it is a plus for us to have her here. I worked with her all day Friday, training her on our computer system. Since she used to be a dispatcher, talking on the radio was a natural for her. Because of that, my main plan was to train her on our computer software so she would be more familiar with it. She is a fast learner and has done a great job.
Saturday was the BIG day. I was up early, helping Karla get things prepared for Gayla’s graduation from high school. There was lots of last minute things to do, so we started early. The ceremony did not start until 10:30 am, but I was there by 9:30. The church auditorium where the ceremony was being held was filling up fast. We had lots of family attend the graduation, but we didn’t all get to sit together. The ceremony was nice, however, the main speaker (the head of the school) did not talk loud enough, so we could hardly hear anything she was saying. The ceremony lasted two hours, only because they spent a whole hour on giving out scholarships. I almost dozed off twice during the scholarship announcements. The good thing is, Gayla came out with two of the scholarships….and I almost missed it because I wasn’t paying attention.
After the ceremony, we went to Stephen’s apartment and had post-graduation party…..snacks, sodas and Jersey Mike sandwiches. Afterwards, I headed home and really did not do much the rest of the afternoon. Of course, I did not get home until around 3 pm, so most of the afternoon was gone anyway. I had decided to go by Lou Calhoun’s house that evening and visit with some of the family (her husband, Alan, died last week), but then changed my mind because I knew she needed time to be with just her family. I had gone by the funeral home Friday evening to view Alan’s body. It was strange seeing him in a casket, but he looked peaceful.
Sunday turned out to be a very long day for me. After morning worship, several of us went to Johnnie’s to eat lunch. After lunch, I went over to Lou’s house to spend time with the family. While I was there, I realized her yard had not been mowed for a while, so I went back home, got my mower and weedeater and headed back to her house. All of the family left for the funeral home because Alan’s body was going to be available for viewing from 2-4 pm. While they were all gone, I spent the next 1-1/2 hours mowing and weedeating the yard. Then, I had to head over to the church for a 4 pm men’s quartet practice. Afterwards, I went to the youth Bible Study, the evening worship service and then a youth get-together in the gym.
I knew when I woke up Monday morning, it would be a very difficult day. Not only was I training the new employee at work, I was going to be leaving early to attend Alan’s funeral. I did leave the office at 9 am and headed over to the church for the funeral. The Patriot Guard was there to escort the family to the church and then from the church to the cemetery. Alan was a good, Christina man who loved his family, especially his grandchildren. He had been confined to a wheelchair because of his MS, but that did not hold him back. He never complained about his handicap and he never complained when he felt bad…..he just rolled with the punches. It also did not matter what the weather was like….he was always in church. He was the head of our security at church and he took that role seriously. Whether it was raining, snowing, sleeting, windy, hot or cold, you could always count on Alan being at church. He never let his handicap slow him down. Years ago, he used to work with me on the sound board at church (which was upstairs in the balcony). He did so until he got to the point where he could not walk anymore and had to rely on his wheelchair.
The funeral was nice! It wasn’t a sad event…it was more of a celebration of Alan’s life. He had done so much for so many people and had touched many lives. There were a good number of people in attendance, which proved that he touched many lives. I was a pallbearer, so I had the honor of carrying the casket to its final resting spot. As we left the church for the processional to the graveside, I turned on all my emergency lights on my truck and followed the convoy to the Moore Cemetery (the same place where Derek, Alan’s son, was buried 4 years ago). After the graveside, it was back to work. That evening, I did absolutely nothing but rest. I had worn my uncomfortable black shoes to the funeral and wore them all day long, so my feet were really tired.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/oklahoman/obituary-search.aspx?countryid=1&stateid=46&affiliateid=293&firstname=Alan+&lastname=Calhoun&daterange=14&submit1=Search
Yesterday was a pretty good day. It was the last day I would be training the new dispatcher. I had already trained her on the computer part and on one of the radios, so now it was up to the other two dispatchers to train her on their respective radios. I really don’t mind training new employees, but when I do, they sit at my desk and I don’t really have the time to do my locates and check my emails. It throws me behind. Fortunately, she has been easy to train, so I haven’t had to keep going over things with her. After work, I went home, picked up my mower and mowed Linda’s lawn. I spoke to her briefly and found out she is going to need surgery on her wrist in order for it to heal. She doesn’t want the surgery, but that’s the only option she has if she wants to get better. She has gone through around 6 weeks of physical therapy, but it has only been a band-aid to the problem. It gives her temporary relief, but she needs permanent relief. So, it looks like I will be working her radio for at least another 6-8 weeks.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
Last Friday, we had a new employee join our dispatch team at work. She has been with the City for 20 years, but they were doing away with her position, so she had no choice but to come here. It was either come to work here, or no longer have a job. She used to be a dispatcher and can type 70 words per minute, so it is a plus for us to have her here. I worked with her all day Friday, training her on our computer system. Since she used to be a dispatcher, talking on the radio was a natural for her. Because of that, my main plan was to train her on our computer software so she would be more familiar with it. She is a fast learner and has done a great job.
Saturday was the BIG day. I was up early, helping Karla get things prepared for Gayla’s graduation from high school. There was lots of last minute things to do, so we started early. The ceremony did not start until 10:30 am, but I was there by 9:30. The church auditorium where the ceremony was being held was filling up fast. We had lots of family attend the graduation, but we didn’t all get to sit together. The ceremony was nice, however, the main speaker (the head of the school) did not talk loud enough, so we could hardly hear anything she was saying. The ceremony lasted two hours, only because they spent a whole hour on giving out scholarships. I almost dozed off twice during the scholarship announcements. The good thing is, Gayla came out with two of the scholarships….and I almost missed it because I wasn’t paying attention.
After the ceremony, we went to Stephen’s apartment and had post-graduation party…..snacks, sodas and Jersey Mike sandwiches. Afterwards, I headed home and really did not do much the rest of the afternoon. Of course, I did not get home until around 3 pm, so most of the afternoon was gone anyway. I had decided to go by Lou Calhoun’s house that evening and visit with some of the family (her husband, Alan, died last week), but then changed my mind because I knew she needed time to be with just her family. I had gone by the funeral home Friday evening to view Alan’s body. It was strange seeing him in a casket, but he looked peaceful.
Sunday turned out to be a very long day for me. After morning worship, several of us went to Johnnie’s to eat lunch. After lunch, I went over to Lou’s house to spend time with the family. While I was there, I realized her yard had not been mowed for a while, so I went back home, got my mower and weedeater and headed back to her house. All of the family left for the funeral home because Alan’s body was going to be available for viewing from 2-4 pm. While they were all gone, I spent the next 1-1/2 hours mowing and weedeating the yard. Then, I had to head over to the church for a 4 pm men’s quartet practice. Afterwards, I went to the youth Bible Study, the evening worship service and then a youth get-together in the gym.
I knew when I woke up Monday morning, it would be a very difficult day. Not only was I training the new employee at work, I was going to be leaving early to attend Alan’s funeral. I did leave the office at 9 am and headed over to the church for the funeral. The Patriot Guard was there to escort the family to the church and then from the church to the cemetery. Alan was a good, Christina man who loved his family, especially his grandchildren. He had been confined to a wheelchair because of his MS, but that did not hold him back. He never complained about his handicap and he never complained when he felt bad…..he just rolled with the punches. It also did not matter what the weather was like….he was always in church. He was the head of our security at church and he took that role seriously. Whether it was raining, snowing, sleeting, windy, hot or cold, you could always count on Alan being at church. He never let his handicap slow him down. Years ago, he used to work with me on the sound board at church (which was upstairs in the balcony). He did so until he got to the point where he could not walk anymore and had to rely on his wheelchair.
The funeral was nice! It wasn’t a sad event…it was more of a celebration of Alan’s life. He had done so much for so many people and had touched many lives. There were a good number of people in attendance, which proved that he touched many lives. I was a pallbearer, so I had the honor of carrying the casket to its final resting spot. As we left the church for the processional to the graveside, I turned on all my emergency lights on my truck and followed the convoy to the Moore Cemetery (the same place where Derek, Alan’s son, was buried 4 years ago). After the graveside, it was back to work. That evening, I did absolutely nothing but rest. I had worn my uncomfortable black shoes to the funeral and wore them all day long, so my feet were really tired.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/oklahoman/obituary-search.aspx?countryid=1&stateid=46&affiliateid=293&firstname=Alan+&lastname=Calhoun&daterange=14&submit1=Search
Yesterday was a pretty good day. It was the last day I would be training the new dispatcher. I had already trained her on the computer part and on one of the radios, so now it was up to the other two dispatchers to train her on their respective radios. I really don’t mind training new employees, but when I do, they sit at my desk and I don’t really have the time to do my locates and check my emails. It throws me behind. Fortunately, she has been easy to train, so I haven’t had to keep going over things with her. After work, I went home, picked up my mower and mowed Linda’s lawn. I spoke to her briefly and found out she is going to need surgery on her wrist in order for it to heal. She doesn’t want the surgery, but that’s the only option she has if she wants to get better. She has gone through around 6 weeks of physical therapy, but it has only been a band-aid to the problem. It gives her temporary relief, but she needs permanent relief. So, it looks like I will be working her radio for at least another 6-8 weeks.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
Thursday, May 12, 2011
No Severe Weather on Wednesday...
Yesterday was a little disappointing. For the last week or so, weather forecasters had predicted a major severe weather day for Wednesday. They were expecting large hail, high winds, torrential rains and numerous tornadoes. Tuesday evening, myself and many of the members of my REACT team had a conference call (what we call a weather bridge). We dial a certain number and type in an access code. Once we get patched through, we are all able to participate in the conference call, no matter where we are. We normally discuss the upcoming severe weather and make our plans for storm spotting. We listen to our two weather specialists to get an idea of how bad the severe weather will be and what time to expect it. As of Tuesday evening, we were still going to be receiving lots of severe weather on Wednesday.
That evening, I made sure I had plenty of gas in my truck, my battery was fully charged on my REACT radio, I had my portable police scanner and my hand-held weather radio with me. I had an extra pair of clothes in case mine got wet, my hard hat in case I got caught in hail, my flashlight in case I was still out after dark and my work radio so I could keep our field personnel updated on severe weather. I was more ready this time that I had ever been before. Plus, I was suppose to have one of the newer REACT members ride with me.
Well, we had everything but severe weather yesterday. There were thunderstorms that had developed overnight in western Oklahoma, causing central and western Oklahoma to be cloudy. The forecasters had expected for the rain to end in the morning and had expected the sun to come out and heat things up. With all the instability in the atmosphere and daytime heating, storms were very likely to fire up along the dry line and become severe…..but, the rain never stopped. Since it continued to rain most of the day, there was no sunshine, so there was no daytime heating. Because of that, we experienced thunderstorms with very heavy rain, bright lightning, strong winds (up to 50 mph) and very small hail. We had expected large hail, strong winds (over 70 mph) and tornadoes. Without the daytime heating, the ingredients for a massive severe weather outbreak just weren’t there. It stayed cloudy all day, keeping the temperatures low.
I was excited early in the morning, but even I know that daytime heating is required to fire up severe storms. As I watched the radar, I noticed storms continued to form, not allowing any sunshine. The more I watched it, the more I knew our severe weather threat had diminished. I checked the severe storms outlook on The Weather Channel website and the NWS website and both downgraded the chances of severe weather from a moderate risk to a slight risk. That means heavy thunderstorms only with lightning, strong winds and small hail….no tornadoes were expected. I checked with both of our weather specialists and they both agreed that the severe weather chances had diminished since there was no daytime heating.
As the afternoon went on, we continued to receive thunderstorms with heavy rain, but that was it. By 5:45 pm, the rain was gone and the sun come out. I really wanted to go storm spotting because I was more than prepared, but I also know that storms cause property damage and take lives, so I am glad for the sake of our city, that we did not get any storms. I got off work, went home, lied down for a while, had dinner and then went to our evening youth service.
Today is a beautiful day. There is still a chance for severe weather, but the threat is in eastern Oklahoma today. There may be a few out storm chasing this afternoon, but in my opinion, it would be a waste of time because the severe weather outlook shows a slight risk for severe weather, which means a low probability of tornadoes.
www.okcentralreact.org
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
That evening, I made sure I had plenty of gas in my truck, my battery was fully charged on my REACT radio, I had my portable police scanner and my hand-held weather radio with me. I had an extra pair of clothes in case mine got wet, my hard hat in case I got caught in hail, my flashlight in case I was still out after dark and my work radio so I could keep our field personnel updated on severe weather. I was more ready this time that I had ever been before. Plus, I was suppose to have one of the newer REACT members ride with me.
Well, we had everything but severe weather yesterday. There were thunderstorms that had developed overnight in western Oklahoma, causing central and western Oklahoma to be cloudy. The forecasters had expected for the rain to end in the morning and had expected the sun to come out and heat things up. With all the instability in the atmosphere and daytime heating, storms were very likely to fire up along the dry line and become severe…..but, the rain never stopped. Since it continued to rain most of the day, there was no sunshine, so there was no daytime heating. Because of that, we experienced thunderstorms with very heavy rain, bright lightning, strong winds (up to 50 mph) and very small hail. We had expected large hail, strong winds (over 70 mph) and tornadoes. Without the daytime heating, the ingredients for a massive severe weather outbreak just weren’t there. It stayed cloudy all day, keeping the temperatures low.
I was excited early in the morning, but even I know that daytime heating is required to fire up severe storms. As I watched the radar, I noticed storms continued to form, not allowing any sunshine. The more I watched it, the more I knew our severe weather threat had diminished. I checked the severe storms outlook on The Weather Channel website and the NWS website and both downgraded the chances of severe weather from a moderate risk to a slight risk. That means heavy thunderstorms only with lightning, strong winds and small hail….no tornadoes were expected. I checked with both of our weather specialists and they both agreed that the severe weather chances had diminished since there was no daytime heating.
As the afternoon went on, we continued to receive thunderstorms with heavy rain, but that was it. By 5:45 pm, the rain was gone and the sun come out. I really wanted to go storm spotting because I was more than prepared, but I also know that storms cause property damage and take lives, so I am glad for the sake of our city, that we did not get any storms. I got off work, went home, lied down for a while, had dinner and then went to our evening youth service.
Today is a beautiful day. There is still a chance for severe weather, but the threat is in eastern Oklahoma today. There may be a few out storm chasing this afternoon, but in my opinion, it would be a waste of time because the severe weather outlook shows a slight risk for severe weather, which means a low probability of tornadoes.
www.okcentralreact.org
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Life has Slowed Down
I can safely say that in the last several days, my life has been uneventful. It has been slow….no storms to spot, no accidents to assist with and no meetings to attend. The last meeting I attended was our REACT Board meeting and that was last Thursday. Since then, life has slowed down. I started having issues with my laptop on Friday (I thought it was my power cord), so I took my power cord by CDR to exchange it for another one (still under warranty). I used it all Friday evening for a long time, but when I got up Saturday morning to log on, it would not work. I worked from 7 am until noon on Saturday and then went back by CDR with my power cord and laptop. After checking a few things out, it was determined the problem was my laptop….so, I left it there for them to repair. Fortunately, I have been able to use Gayla’s laptop to get stuff done. I did nothing all Saturday afternoon except ride my bike and chill.
Last Sunday was Mother’s Day. Karla had to work that day, so Stephen and Gayla visited their aunt and uncle (who have no kids) and spent the day with them. I drove up to north side OKC after church and had lunch with my sister, her family and mom and dad. My mom and dad aren’t into materialistic stuff…all they want to do is spend time with their children and grandchildren. They don’t care about gifts or cards…..just family time.
Late that afternoon, I went by CVS and tried to drop off a Route 44 Dr. Pepper for Karla. She still had some of her drink left that the kids dropped off earlier, so I just took the Dr. Pepper home and saved it for her. When she arrived home from work, there were some storms developing south west of us, so three of us from my REACT team headed to OCCC to watch the storm come in. Nothing ever materialized, so we stood around and talked for about an hour.
Yesterday was another slow, boring, day….nothing exciting happened. After work, I went home and listened to the fire calls on my laptop, but nothing happened around south OKC….all the calls were mainly north. I also took my work radio home and monitored it…..it was slow as well. By 7 pm, I had already eaten dinner and spent some time on FB. I was bored. Today will be a carbon copy of yesterday. I have no plans tonight, so it will be another boring evening (unless I get called out to assist with a grass fire or something). Tomorrow will be the exciting day. The weather forecasters are giving us an excellent chance of severe weather. High winds, large hail, heavy rain and possible outbreak of tornadoes. It should not start until late in the afternoon, but I will be ready. I am sure our REACT team will be activated to go storm spotting….we will see.
This week, we have really been concentrating on Gayla. She graduates from high school on Saturday and we are all excited for her. I never realized how much there was to do for a graduation. I also never realized the cost of it all.
In other news…for the past three months or so, I have been really wanting to get away from running the sound or doing the powerpoint at church. I had been making slides for our announcements, but since they now read the announcements to the congregation on Sunday mornings, I feel it is a waste of time to make up powerpoint slides for them. I am really tired of sitting upstairs and being behind the scenes. I really don’t mind being behind the scenes, but I really feel I need to be sitting downstairs with the youth group and being a support for them during the worship services. Plus, I need to be fed. You can’t really get fed upstairs when you are running the sound…way too many distractions. I am experiencing some really bad burn-out. I need to be able to enjoy a worship service, but it is not happening. Several of us have been trying to find some help upstairs, but to no avail. I don’t want to leave the church in a bad position, but I need some time off. It is getting where I don’t enjoy going and that’s not good!
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
Last Sunday was Mother’s Day. Karla had to work that day, so Stephen and Gayla visited their aunt and uncle (who have no kids) and spent the day with them. I drove up to north side OKC after church and had lunch with my sister, her family and mom and dad. My mom and dad aren’t into materialistic stuff…all they want to do is spend time with their children and grandchildren. They don’t care about gifts or cards…..just family time.
Late that afternoon, I went by CVS and tried to drop off a Route 44 Dr. Pepper for Karla. She still had some of her drink left that the kids dropped off earlier, so I just took the Dr. Pepper home and saved it for her. When she arrived home from work, there were some storms developing south west of us, so three of us from my REACT team headed to OCCC to watch the storm come in. Nothing ever materialized, so we stood around and talked for about an hour.
Yesterday was another slow, boring, day….nothing exciting happened. After work, I went home and listened to the fire calls on my laptop, but nothing happened around south OKC….all the calls were mainly north. I also took my work radio home and monitored it…..it was slow as well. By 7 pm, I had already eaten dinner and spent some time on FB. I was bored. Today will be a carbon copy of yesterday. I have no plans tonight, so it will be another boring evening (unless I get called out to assist with a grass fire or something). Tomorrow will be the exciting day. The weather forecasters are giving us an excellent chance of severe weather. High winds, large hail, heavy rain and possible outbreak of tornadoes. It should not start until late in the afternoon, but I will be ready. I am sure our REACT team will be activated to go storm spotting….we will see.
This week, we have really been concentrating on Gayla. She graduates from high school on Saturday and we are all excited for her. I never realized how much there was to do for a graduation. I also never realized the cost of it all.
In other news…for the past three months or so, I have been really wanting to get away from running the sound or doing the powerpoint at church. I had been making slides for our announcements, but since they now read the announcements to the congregation on Sunday mornings, I feel it is a waste of time to make up powerpoint slides for them. I am really tired of sitting upstairs and being behind the scenes. I really don’t mind being behind the scenes, but I really feel I need to be sitting downstairs with the youth group and being a support for them during the worship services. Plus, I need to be fed. You can’t really get fed upstairs when you are running the sound…way too many distractions. I am experiencing some really bad burn-out. I need to be able to enjoy a worship service, but it is not happening. Several of us have been trying to find some help upstairs, but to no avail. I don’t want to leave the church in a bad position, but I need some time off. It is getting where I don’t enjoy going and that’s not good!
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Here Kitty!
The week is finally almost over with and it has been a busy one.
After working the Memorial Marathon last Sunday, I am still trying to catch up on all my rest and sleep. I have had something going on every night this week, so getting any extra rest or sleep has become impossible.
This has been an interesting week at work. Many months ago, our night shift sewer crews started feeding a stray cat. Where my office is located, we have a couple of open fields, so we get all kinds of stray animals…mostly raccoons, possums, squirrels and rats. This cat hangs around our office all day and has been like a mascot to us. It’s still a wild cat, but the guys keep feeding it, so it continues to come around. Just recently, we found out this cat was a female……..we concluded that when she delivered 4 kittens. Since the crews have basically “adopted” this cat, they wanted to make sure momma and her kittens were taken care of. They made her a makeshift bed , put some rags in it to make it warmer for the kittens and set it on the dock. Even though there is lots of foot traffic and loud trucks coming through during the day, the noise does not seem to bother momma or the kittens.
Don't you just want to pick one up and hold it?
After working the Memorial Marathon last Sunday, I am still trying to catch up on all my rest and sleep. I have had something going on every night this week, so getting any extra rest or sleep has become impossible.
This has been an interesting week at work. Many months ago, our night shift sewer crews started feeding a stray cat. Where my office is located, we have a couple of open fields, so we get all kinds of stray animals…mostly raccoons, possums, squirrels and rats. This cat hangs around our office all day and has been like a mascot to us. It’s still a wild cat, but the guys keep feeding it, so it continues to come around. Just recently, we found out this cat was a female……..we concluded that when she delivered 4 kittens. Since the crews have basically “adopted” this cat, they wanted to make sure momma and her kittens were taken care of. They made her a makeshift bed , put some rags in it to make it warmer for the kittens and set it on the dock. Even though there is lots of foot traffic and loud trucks coming through during the day, the noise does not seem to bother momma or the kittens.
Don't you just want to pick one up and hold it?
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Busy Weekend!
It’s Tuesday and I am still trying to catch up on the sleep I lost during the weekend.
The Memorial Run was last Sunday and my REACT team was asked to provide traffic and crowd control for the event. During the week, leading up to the event, we had several meetings to make sure we knew what was expected of us. Unlike other events, where we all work together in close proximity, this event was going to spread the team out to different parts of the City. Because of that, we knew communications between each other was going to be a challenge…and it was.
The night before the marathon, I stayed at the Biltmore Hotel (at I-40 and Meridian), courtesy of the marathon organizers. The reason? I was going to have to be downtown at the transit bus station at 4:30 am on Sunday morning. Instead of sleeping at home and waking my family up when I got up, I chose the motel. That way, I would not disturb others when I got up. I arrived at the hotel at 8:30 pm, watched some Nascar, got on my computer for a while and then went to bed at 9:30 pm. I set my phone alarm for 4 am and my watch alarm for 3:55 am, but It didn’t really matter because at 3:45 am, I received a call from one of the organizers, making sure I was up. Very slowly, I got out of bed and hopped in the shower.
The weather forecast had called for rain overnight, but when I stepped outside, it was still dry. The last thing we needed at the marathon…..was rain. I had purchased a rain jacket the day before, just in case it did rain, but I did not want to actually wear it…because I did not want it to rain. I was stationed at the bus terminal to make sure all traffic (other than buses) stayed out of the terminal. At around 5:15 am, I noticed it lightning south west of the bus station. About 15 minutes later, I decided to go to my truck and get my raincoat. Just as soon as I got it, the heavy rains came. It was miserable. What surprised me were the number of runners that came unprepared for the rain. For the last 5 days, forecasters told us Sunday would be a rainy day….a wash- out. It turned out they were right.
For the rest of the race, I spent most of my time walking in the rain, answering questions from runners and giving directions. Many of the runners were getting upset because they were wanting to go back to their hotels early, yet the buses were not taking anyone back to the hotels until around 10:30 or so. That meant that many runners had to stand in the wet rain and the cold….for almost 2 hours. Unfortunately, since I had no control over any of the decisions, all I could do was apologize to the runners and try to find them places to stay warm. Many of them just chose to sit on the warm buses until it was time to go back to their hotels. Others just complained. I was chewed out several times and got called names, but it didn’t bother me. I knew people were wet, cold and upset, so I did not take anything they said personal. I just continued to keep a good attitude and tried to be as polite and professional as I could.
At one time, I approached a young couple who looked cold and lost. They informed me they were not from this area and could not remember where they had parked. So, the three of us piled into my truck and drove around downtown for thirty minutes and finally found their car. As the race came to an end, our clean-up started. There really wasn’t that much to do, but we volunteered to stay and help out wherever we were needed. By 2 pm, our team was released. All of us were sleepy, tired, wet and cold. We decided to meet at a Chinese restaurant to eat and have a DE-briefing (like we do after every event we work). I left the restaurant at 3:30 pm and went home. I slept until around 6 pm.
Yesterday was an average day. For some reason, I automatically woke up at 4 am, but went right back to sleep. I was tired when I got up at 5:30 am, but I got up, hopped in the shower to wake up and then headed off to work. It was a long, tiring, day and one of our dispatchers called in sick, so I stayed at work until 8 pm.
In other news…..
Gayla got enrolled in college yesterday at OCCC. WOW…..that is almost hard to say and type. It is hard to believe my baby girl is already going to college. Her last day of school is May 18th and her graduation day is May 14th. She is so excited to graduate and is anticipating college. Her major is nursing. I am so proud of her and she has been an outstanding student as long as I can remember.
www.okcentralreact.org
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
The Memorial Run was last Sunday and my REACT team was asked to provide traffic and crowd control for the event. During the week, leading up to the event, we had several meetings to make sure we knew what was expected of us. Unlike other events, where we all work together in close proximity, this event was going to spread the team out to different parts of the City. Because of that, we knew communications between each other was going to be a challenge…and it was.
The night before the marathon, I stayed at the Biltmore Hotel (at I-40 and Meridian), courtesy of the marathon organizers. The reason? I was going to have to be downtown at the transit bus station at 4:30 am on Sunday morning. Instead of sleeping at home and waking my family up when I got up, I chose the motel. That way, I would not disturb others when I got up. I arrived at the hotel at 8:30 pm, watched some Nascar, got on my computer for a while and then went to bed at 9:30 pm. I set my phone alarm for 4 am and my watch alarm for 3:55 am, but It didn’t really matter because at 3:45 am, I received a call from one of the organizers, making sure I was up. Very slowly, I got out of bed and hopped in the shower.
The weather forecast had called for rain overnight, but when I stepped outside, it was still dry. The last thing we needed at the marathon…..was rain. I had purchased a rain jacket the day before, just in case it did rain, but I did not want to actually wear it…because I did not want it to rain. I was stationed at the bus terminal to make sure all traffic (other than buses) stayed out of the terminal. At around 5:15 am, I noticed it lightning south west of the bus station. About 15 minutes later, I decided to go to my truck and get my raincoat. Just as soon as I got it, the heavy rains came. It was miserable. What surprised me were the number of runners that came unprepared for the rain. For the last 5 days, forecasters told us Sunday would be a rainy day….a wash- out. It turned out they were right.
For the rest of the race, I spent most of my time walking in the rain, answering questions from runners and giving directions. Many of the runners were getting upset because they were wanting to go back to their hotels early, yet the buses were not taking anyone back to the hotels until around 10:30 or so. That meant that many runners had to stand in the wet rain and the cold….for almost 2 hours. Unfortunately, since I had no control over any of the decisions, all I could do was apologize to the runners and try to find them places to stay warm. Many of them just chose to sit on the warm buses until it was time to go back to their hotels. Others just complained. I was chewed out several times and got called names, but it didn’t bother me. I knew people were wet, cold and upset, so I did not take anything they said personal. I just continued to keep a good attitude and tried to be as polite and professional as I could.
At one time, I approached a young couple who looked cold and lost. They informed me they were not from this area and could not remember where they had parked. So, the three of us piled into my truck and drove around downtown for thirty minutes and finally found their car. As the race came to an end, our clean-up started. There really wasn’t that much to do, but we volunteered to stay and help out wherever we were needed. By 2 pm, our team was released. All of us were sleepy, tired, wet and cold. We decided to meet at a Chinese restaurant to eat and have a DE-briefing (like we do after every event we work). I left the restaurant at 3:30 pm and went home. I slept until around 6 pm.
Yesterday was an average day. For some reason, I automatically woke up at 4 am, but went right back to sleep. I was tired when I got up at 5:30 am, but I got up, hopped in the shower to wake up and then headed off to work. It was a long, tiring, day and one of our dispatchers called in sick, so I stayed at work until 8 pm.
In other news…..
Gayla got enrolled in college yesterday at OCCC. WOW…..that is almost hard to say and type. It is hard to believe my baby girl is already going to college. Her last day of school is May 18th and her graduation day is May 14th. She is so excited to graduate and is anticipating college. Her major is nursing. I am so proud of her and she has been an outstanding student as long as I can remember.
www.okcentralreact.org
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
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