Wow. I know the EXACT area where that was filmed. I graduated from USM and still have friends and family in the area. Like you said, amazing that no one died given the size of the tornado.
Tornados have always scared me. If we're under a watch I won't sleep cause I want to be able to at least pull my kids (and if I have time, maybe wife) into the restroom in the center of our house.
After the first couple times, if I was in the car, Michael would've been saying 'hmmph hmmph hmmph hmmph' thanks to duct tape.
I'm fascinated by em. I'm mad that I didn't go up there. I was watching the radar and KNEW it was a big tornado, due to the clear radar signature. It literally had an 'eye' at times like a hurricane, which you almost NEVER see with a tornado. I had plenty of time to get up there, but had the boys with me for the day. I didn't wanna leave em at my parents, so I just stayed put. But it would have been such an easy chase, with Hwy 98 to traverse east or west, and Hwy 589 to skirt north to Hwy 49 if necessary...as well as the interstate right there for that matter.
I have been on the road when a tornado touched down nearby and I can tell you one thing . . . all traffic rules are instantly suspended. People were pulling U-turns, backing up, cutting across fields, driving in circles, and heading off in every direction including right at the twister. Damnedest thing I've ever seen.
Yeah, that video was the best for me because the guy wasn't hauling arse the whole time, but rather slowly following. I knew exactly where the tornado was the whole time by the landmarks on 98. I landscaped half that shyt in the early 2000s and late 90s lol.
I really need to invest in a storm shelter. That center of the house stuff doesn't do a whole bunch when chunks of your foundation are found 3 blocks away. Last year we had a about 6 of them touch down one after the other in the span of a few hours. They all sort of touched in the same place and followed the same track. Except for one which turned 90 and was coming right at the house (few miles away not like across the street) I just put everyone in the car and we got out of the way.
