A Month of Wind, Hail & Flood.

It's been an interesting month in OKC...basically since we bought our house here. Let's first recap a couple of events before I launch into today's events. During the week of May 10, 34 tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma, and on May 19 alone, there were at least 12 more. Watch this video to see how one rudely introduced itself to a van in Norman. Welcome to Tornado Alley. Additionally, May 16th brought us one of the worst hail storms in the history of the state. This video of a pool well demonstrates the force of the storm. Be sure to stick through it - you'll be amazed. With it came flash flooding and massive damage to the community. Afterwards, everything was quite surreal, as the city was snow white, covered in hail, yet it looked like a war zone with cars and homes absolutely destroyed.

It's really been a very difficult time for many, including some of those close to me. Fortunately, we have been spared, for which we are most grateful. So far though, we have encountered great forces of wind and hail. Today, we met the flood. I woke up around 5:15 so that I could get to the office early and knock out a few things before our Monday meetings. When I awoke, it sounded like one of the worst storms I've been around. The power went out right around then, so I figured I would sleep in at least a little longer until there was enough light bleeding in for me to effectively shower and get ready. So, on the first appearance of said light, I got ready and headed out the door. Ah, but there was a problem. No power = no working garage. (First, imagine the picture: I'm in my garage. It's dark. I'm wearing a suit. I'm trying really, really hard not to brush up on one of our cars that are crammed in there due to all of our extraneous moving stuff.) So, I reach up ever so carefully and pull the cord to successfully unhitch the garage. Next, I try to find the cleanest place to grab the handle, and I pull the garage open. But here's the kicker - and I kid you not - right as the garage fully slides open, the power comes back on. Awesome. I should have waited 30 seconds. So, now I'm in my suit up on a ladder, really trying not to get dirty while reattaching the garage to the chain. Now, is this a big deal? Not really. However, it is a foreshadowing.

I drive out. It's raining. Hard. I can't really see, but I've driven through hard rains before and aren't that concerned. Anyway, I head down I-35, but the interstate soon reaches a complete halt. After seemingly an eternity, I am able to make it to what I believe is a smart detour, I-44. Not so much. Now I'm on a different road, but with the same result - I'm alternating between standing still and going .029348 mph. I'm about a third of the way in between I-44 and my next planned road, I-235, when I get an email from Jack saying that we should stay home safe and dry. Stay home? Safe and dry? It's just a little rain, right? Wrong. Now, it's important to understand that my drive is usually around 25 minutes. At this point, it's been 55 minutes, so I did know something was up; however, I was assuming it was a mere weather related accident. Again, not so much. Around then, Katie calls/texts/emails (I can't remember which one) asking if I'm okay and have gotten to the office. I call her, and she quickly informs me that I'm out in what is becoming one of the worst floods in Oklahoma's history. Like a one-in-a-hundered-year kind of thing. Great. Well, I'm already out, so I might as well press on...or at least I try.

Right around my correspondence with Katie, my car pulls a KITT and blitzes me with an array of warnings about my tire pressure. Three of my tires are between 35-37 PSI. Normal. My back driver's side, though, is at 25 PSI. Not normal. Very not normal.

So, let's reset....

I'm stuck on I-44 barely moving with a gazillion miles before I can get off in one of the worst floods ever in the state and I just got a flat with rapidly decreasing PSI in my tire. Luckily, I didn't have to pee.

Anyway, that basically sets the drama for the rest of the morning that would include countless u-turns from confronting former roads that were now river rapids, driving through blocked of roads where police were warning through their car speakers for only trucks to proceed (I assume my MDX counts, and to it's credit, it faired very well), witnessing numbers of cars submerged, abandoned, or stuck on medians where they tried to cut off the road, and much of what you would expect in such situations. There were many rescues, but I didn't see one and fortunately wasn't a part of one. My trusty Michelin held up until I could get to a discount tire, though it wasn't until I had driving for 3 hours since leaving my driveway. The distance I covered on a normal day would have taken me around 25-30, though more on the 25 minute side. After I got my car road-worthy again, I wasn't able to get home for another 3 hours due to washed out bridges, roads, and blocked roads. For about half that time, I was huddled in a Barnes & Noble, thankful for my doppio espresso and banana nut muffin.

Oh, but at Barnes & Noble, I realized that I didn't have my iPhone power cord with me. For most people, this wouldn't be a big deal; however, as my iPhone (with push services, wifi, 3G, and bluetooth all turned off) lasts around 45 minutes to an hour before dying. So, that actually created a whole other wrinkle in the day that I won't get into (but I will say I am greatly anticipating the arrival of my new iPhone 4). Needless to say though, I finally got home and spent much of the rest of my day on conference calls in my office, dry and happy. It was a long and weird day. In my time in the car, I could have driven to Waco, yet I never made it south of 50th in OKC. As the rain continues even now, I'm curious what tomorrow will bring. Still, the evening was filled with family and friends, and I'm currently quaffing a Chimay Grand Reserve. It certainly ended well.