As most of you know, Father's day in Billings turned out to be a very scary, destructive, shake you to core and yet AMAZING day!!! For the first time since 1958, a tornado touched down in Billings and caused major destruction but left NO and I repeat NO injuries or fatalities!!
The day was FINALLY a nice day! The sun was finally shining and the temperature was rising!! Karlee asked Mike if he wanted to go to Toy Story 3 for Father's day and he of course said yes!! We left the theater at about 4:20 and while we were in there, a storm had rolled in and it was eerily dark!! We talked about going to eat supper somewhere but decided to waste some time at Toys-R-Us first!! Just as we had walked into Toys-R-Us, I received a text from a friend saying that she had gotten word that a tornado was spotted on the north side of town and asked if I could hear sirens!! I walked to the door of Toys-R-Us and couldn't hear sirens but noticed that it had started really raining! I told Mike that we needed to at least get to the car so we could turn on the radio and hear what was going on!! We made it to the car and decided to start heading home so that we would at least be there if there was going to be a tornado!! Shortly after that, I get a phone call from my friend stating that she had heard that a tornado had touched down at Metra Park and was heading up Main Street in the Heights!! My heart immediately sunk...we live in the heights and not too far off Main from the Metra!! We start driving as fast as we can towards home to see if our house is okay all the while my phone starts going crazy with texts and phone calls and also with me trying to text and call people and see if they are okay! The rain is falling so hard that we can barely see even with the windshield wipers on high!!
I will NEVER forget what we saw as we approached the Metra and up Main Street (tears are filling my eyes as I type this)!! It was minutes, maybe 10 after the tornado had it!! Debris...insulation...wood...metal was EVERYWHERE! In the roads, hanging from power lines, trees and then I saw it........The Metra....THE ROOF WAS GONE!!!!! I have soo many memories of different events at the Metra.....going to concerts, tournaments, bringing an electric blanket to keep warm while take stats at the High School basketball tournaments cause the floor was on the ice, I graduated from College in that building, taking Karlee for her first meeting with her HERO Mickey Mouse....SOOOO many memories!!
We continued down Main Street through more debris on the road and strewn everywhere to the next business that we can see that is damaged!! There were only 2 walls and a pop machine left of this business!! Then across the street, it looks as if what was a casino is now a pile of rubble and several other business had windows broke out and then just a few more business down the street, no damage at all!! I started praying that nobody was injured but in the back of my head, I figured there was no possible way that there could be such destruction and no injuries or fatalities!!
We kept heading toward the house to see how it was as I had been getting reports from friends of golf ball size hail through out the heights and lots of broken windows and flooding!! We got home to find that our lawn looked like a driving range at a Golf Course but thankfully no windows were broken and we had no flooding!! Mike's car was heavily damaged by the hail along with our roof, gutters, and bbq!! Those are all just things!! We are all okay and that is the most important thing!!
When you drive by the path of destruction it is sad to see the destruction but AMAZING all at the same time!! Everywhere you look, you see GOD's hand!! He protected us all that night when a tornado was sent down the busiest street in the whole state of Montana!! When the adrenalin wore off that night and I got a chance to reflect on what had happened and that the tornado could have touched down anywhere in Billings, I had a good cry over how lucky and blessed we all are!!
Here are some pictures of the destruction and also a video that was shot of the tornado!!
This is a short part of the video below that shows some of the tornado touching down at the Metra!!
This is a 10 min video of the tornado hitting the Metra and also the destruction afterwards!
Inside the Metra
Back of Fast-Break Auto Glass
Front of Fast-Break Auto Glass
Enclosed Trailer that was hurled through the air
Our Front Yard!!
Hail that I picked up 2 hours AFTER the storm! That is a quarter in the bowl with it!!
We received over 2 inches of rain in 2 hours with the storm that added to our already very saturated ground! There has been wide spread flooding throughout the town! Some house have had as much as 7-8 feet of water in their basements!!
Click here to read the articles and see the pictures that the Billings Gazette has published!!
The day was FINALLY a nice day! The sun was finally shining and the temperature was rising!! Karlee asked Mike if he wanted to go to Toy Story 3 for Father's day and he of course said yes!! We left the theater at about 4:20 and while we were in there, a storm had rolled in and it was eerily dark!! We talked about going to eat supper somewhere but decided to waste some time at Toys-R-Us first!! Just as we had walked into Toys-R-Us, I received a text from a friend saying that she had gotten word that a tornado was spotted on the north side of town and asked if I could hear sirens!! I walked to the door of Toys-R-Us and couldn't hear sirens but noticed that it had started really raining! I told Mike that we needed to at least get to the car so we could turn on the radio and hear what was going on!! We made it to the car and decided to start heading home so that we would at least be there if there was going to be a tornado!! Shortly after that, I get a phone call from my friend stating that she had heard that a tornado had touched down at Metra Park and was heading up Main Street in the Heights!! My heart immediately sunk...we live in the heights and not too far off Main from the Metra!! We start driving as fast as we can towards home to see if our house is okay all the while my phone starts going crazy with texts and phone calls and also with me trying to text and call people and see if they are okay! The rain is falling so hard that we can barely see even with the windshield wipers on high!!
I will NEVER forget what we saw as we approached the Metra and up Main Street (tears are filling my eyes as I type this)!! It was minutes, maybe 10 after the tornado had it!! Debris...insulation...wood...metal was EVERYWHERE! In the roads, hanging from power lines, trees and then I saw it........The Metra....THE ROOF WAS GONE!!!!! I have soo many memories of different events at the Metra.....going to concerts, tournaments, bringing an electric blanket to keep warm while take stats at the High School basketball tournaments cause the floor was on the ice, I graduated from College in that building, taking Karlee for her first meeting with her HERO Mickey Mouse....SOOOO many memories!!
We continued down Main Street through more debris on the road and strewn everywhere to the next business that we can see that is damaged!! There were only 2 walls and a pop machine left of this business!! Then across the street, it looks as if what was a casino is now a pile of rubble and several other business had windows broke out and then just a few more business down the street, no damage at all!! I started praying that nobody was injured but in the back of my head, I figured there was no possible way that there could be such destruction and no injuries or fatalities!!
We kept heading toward the house to see how it was as I had been getting reports from friends of golf ball size hail through out the heights and lots of broken windows and flooding!! We got home to find that our lawn looked like a driving range at a Golf Course but thankfully no windows were broken and we had no flooding!! Mike's car was heavily damaged by the hail along with our roof, gutters, and bbq!! Those are all just things!! We are all okay and that is the most important thing!!
When you drive by the path of destruction it is sad to see the destruction but AMAZING all at the same time!! Everywhere you look, you see GOD's hand!! He protected us all that night when a tornado was sent down the busiest street in the whole state of Montana!! When the adrenalin wore off that night and I got a chance to reflect on what had happened and that the tornado could have touched down anywhere in Billings, I had a good cry over how lucky and blessed we all are!!
Here are some pictures of the destruction and also a video that was shot of the tornado!!
This is a short part of the video below that shows some of the tornado touching down at the Metra!!
This is a 10 min video of the tornado hitting the Metra and also the destruction afterwards!
Cell phone picture taken of the tornado about 1/2 mile from where it was touching down
Upper Parking lot at the Metra littered with debris
Ariel view of the damage to the Metra
Inside the Metra
Back of Fast-Break Auto Glass Front of Fast-Break Auto Glass Enclosed Trailer that was hurled through the air
Our Front Yard!! Hail that I picked up 2 hours AFTER the storm! That is a quarter in the bowl with it!! We received over 2 inches of rain in 2 hours with the storm that added to our already very saturated ground! There has been wide spread flooding throughout the town! Some house have had as much as 7-8 feet of water in their basements!!
Click here to read the articles and see the pictures that the Billings Gazette has published!! 
6 comments:
Sometimes, it takes events like this to realize that we have each other's backs. The damages may be terrible, but what matters most are the lives to be rebuilt after the hurricane.
Hey, very nice site. I came across this on Google, and I am stoked that I did. I will definitely be coming back here more often. Wish I could add to the conversation and bring a bit more to the table, but am just taking in as much info as I can at the moment. Thanks for sharing.
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Hey, very nice site. I came across this on Google, and I am stoked that I did. I will definitely be coming back here more often. Wish I could add to the conversation and bring a bit more to the table, but am just taking in as much info as I can at the moment. Thanks for sharing.
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Hey, very nice site. I came across this on Google, and I am stoked that I did. I will definitely be coming back here more often. Wish I could add to the conversation and bring a bit more to the table, but am just taking in as much info as I can at the moment. Thanks for sharing.
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Hey, very nice site. I came across this on Google, and I am stoked that I did. I will definitely be coming back here more often. Wish I could add to the conversation and bring a bit more to the table, but am just taking in as much info as I can at the moment. Thanks for sharing.
Chair For Cerebral Palsy Child
Keep Posting:)
Hey, very nice site. I came across this on Google, and I am stoked that I did. I will definitely be coming back here more often. Wish I could add to the conversation and bring a bit more to the table, but am just taking in as much info as I can at the moment. Thanks for sharing.
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