Saturday, June 2, 2018

20

Lake Carey was ripped apart by a tornado 20 years ago.  It struck late at night.  Two died.  I saw pictures and video of the damage.  It was horrible.

I was "between jobs" when it happened.  One job had just ended.  I was looking for another.  I was talking with WNEP, and honestly, it didn't seem to be going anywhere.  I was finishing up a job interview trip to Charleston, West Virginia when the storm hit.

Lake Carey was not alone.  There was a tornado outbreak that day and night, back in 1998.  I remember hitting some nasty storms as I drove across Route 68 in the Maryland panhandle.  Fatigue got the better of me and I spent the night in Harrisburg, PA.  The storm outbreak was so severe and so wide, the news director who interviewed me in West Virginia called me at home, to make sure I arrived okay.

Tornadoes have always frightened me.  Other than hiding in a shelter, there's not much you can do -- and they cannot be stopped.