My Worst Nightmare Came True Today...

[Eeyores Butterfly]

My worst nightmare has always been that we would experience a tornad warning at school- and it happened today. Whatever genius designed our school did not design it for the kind of weather we get. There are truly no interior spaces for the kids to go. The best we can do are the hallways, but they all have glass doors to the outside. There is a courtyard in the center of the school, so that doesn't work. There are also skylights everywhere.

I've always been scared that we would have a tornado ast here is simply no good place to go. Our sirens started sounding today. Technically my class is supposed to go to the hallway outside our room which is right off the courtyard and filled with windows. we went to another hallway that did not have windows. My kids were amazing, but so many of the kids were crying and scared. The sirens just kept going off. I think they sounded maybe a total of 5-7 times. The last time they suonded, one of the kids started crying that they just couldn't take it anymore.

Thankfully it did not touch down where we were. It went on for over an hour and the kids (and staff) were so stressed by the end of it. I'm just so grateful we made it through okay. I heard Sedalia got hit pretty hard and there were several tornadoes near where my parents live. Please keep all of those affected by this storm in your prayers.

 

[bellebud]

how scary!! These tornadoes are doing such horrible damage - I feel so bad for those who have been through this.

 

[Hillbeans]

That is so scary. I would be very upset as well.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Thank goodness you and all your little ones were ok.

 

[Cindy B]

I can't imagine a tornado at school as well.. that does sound like a nightmare.

I'm glad everyone is ok and no real damage with you and your students.

 

[JessicaR]

Can't imagine. So scary. Thanfully you and the students are OK.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

I have also experienced a tornado warning with the sirens blaring while working in a school. It is terrifying to know that if something happens, you are responsible for the safety of yourself and other people's children. I am glad it turned out well for y'all.

 

[kirbydog48]

Hope this is the last of it! So devastating and scary.

 

[englishteacha]

I would write a polite, carefully worded letter to whomever is in charge of building maintenance in your district about the need for secure places to go in case of a tornado. I'm so glad you are safe and your students are all OK!

 

[DeluxePrincess]

Very scary! DD's school was also not designed for Midwestern weather. Their safe place is in the cafeteria, where there are very few windows.

 

[sparklynails23]

We used to do that when I was little. Sit in the hallway, head between the knees, hands over head. I just remember it as being uncomfortable, not terribly scary. The memory will fade for the kids. I hope you don't have any more sirens this year.

 

[Feralpeg]

That happened to me when I was in the 9th grade at Center South Junior High in KC. A funnel cloud was spotted. We were all told to take cover. The plan was for the kids to go to the locker rooms which are underground. Unfortunately, to get there, you have to pass through a glass hallway. It was a mess. A huge number of the kids stopped in the hallway to look at the funnel cloud. Fortunately, it didn't touch down. It could have been very bad.

 

[FredinFL]

That must have been so scary. I bet there are a few more greys now.

 

[hereyago]

We used to do that when I was little. Sit in the hallway, head between the knees, hands over head. I just remember it as being uncomfortable, not terribly scary. The memory will fade for the kids. I hope you don't have any more sirens this year.

I did that as well, years ago. DD has the same drill in her schools. they have a nice gym that could fit everyone, however, it's roof is a sky light, so they have to do the halls thing as well.

 

[Nik's Mom]

Op I'm not too far from you. I was in sans club when the alarms sounded. It briefly touched down just 2 blocks away and we all just huddled together at the center of the store. As soon as the sirens stopped, I headed to my sons school. I was told that there were a lot of terrified kids, but at least they were in a basement.

I will be so glad for tornado season to end.

 

[3boymthr]

I hope the kids will be okay and that you won't have deal with too many terrors tomorrow about it.

We had a funnel cloud touch down on the ocean (so actually a water spout according to DH) across the highway from our cottage when we were just outside of Ocean City a couple of years ago. We don't get them much here in MA but DH is from West Texas and knew it might happen just from the color of the clouds and knew just what to do but like your school there really was no safe place in the cottage aside from a storage closet which made it even more scary. It was strange because within a few seconds we could tell it was going out to sea as soon as we knew it was going out to sea we and all the neighbors stood together in the courtyard and watched it (It wasn't big and only lasted a minute or so). It was both terrifying and fascinating at the same time. I have to say my kids dealt with the whole thing a lot better than I did.

 

[3boymthr]

Op I'm not too far from you. I was in sans club when the alarms sounded. It briefly touched down just 2 blocks away and we all just huddled together at the center of the store. As soon as the sirens stopped, I headed to my sons school. I was told that there were a lot of terrified kids, but at least they were in a basement.

I will be so glad for tornado season to end.

When does it end? We track hurricane season but not Tornado season up here.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Thank you for all of the replies. My class was actually the calmest one! It was tense, and of course it covered all of lunch time and then some. My husband's school in KCK also had sirens, but theirs only lasted half an hour. He has to work at the theme park tonight and at first it looked like there might be a round 2, but it looks like the threat has passed, thank goodness. When I called my parents in Jeff City their sirens were going off, but again, it missed them.

May and June are peak months for tornadoes and the season tapers off towards July according to weather.com.

 

[Goofyluver]

They locked us down for an hour past dismissal a few weeks ago.

After the fact, one of the sped teachers was relaying a story about one of my kids with Downs. Apparently, he buried himself in the, errrr, bosom of one of the, shall we say, "blessed" teachers aides. He stayed there the entire time. The joke was, if he was goin' out, at least he was goin' out happy.

We were briefly locked down again the day after this first incident and as I walked by in the hallway, all I saw was buttcrack! I've decided pants need to be waist-high.