The Stairwell Party in Dallas

The tornadoes in Dallas last week are old news by now.  As it happens, I was down there on business that week.  As the front approached, we started getting warnings on the intercom in the office, and finally we were given the direction to take shelter.  This gave me a flashback moment or two, as I recalled all the training in schools when we lived in Memphis, TN.

In the building I was in, that meant to go into either the stairwell or the men's room and wait it out.  So my team and I headed to the stairwell and then down to the first level.

I noted that the walls of the stairwell may not have been concrete masonry, which is the preferred structure.  But they were deep in the building's core, so hopefully they were safe enough.  In any case the stairs themselves were steel with poured concrete steps...that wasn't going anywhere.

If we had been hit, and one of the super cells did pass over us, we would have likely seen broken windows, and maybe damage to the exterior offices.  All in all, pretty scary, and definitely not something I'd ever want to repeat.

I'll make it my worst ever road trip experience!

Also, here is some helicopter footage of one of the tornadoes.  In the first two or three minutes there is a dramatic moment when it passes over a truckyard and starts flipping around the equipment.  That was simply amazing.