If it's not gangs, it's the weather

The hoopla from the recent gang threats has finally died down in our county schools. I can send Beth to school without actively worrying (well, more than I normally do) about her surviving the school day.

Today was rainy and stormy almost all day. About 1:35 the power flickered and our principal announced a tornado drill. I was in the computer lab with my class so I stowed the small children under the desks against the inside walls and proceeded to get online myself to check out the weather. Our county had a severe thunderstorm warning and two neighboring counties had tornado warnings. While the kids were still shoved under the furniture, I hit the web site of our only local newspaper. It's breaking news section was reporting a tornado had actually touched down in a tiny, unincorporated town in our county. The only thing of consequence in that tiny town is...Beth's high school.

When all is said and done, I'm sure the damage will be declared to have been caused by "straight line winds." That's what they always call it here. Despite that fact, no fewer than 50 local residents will be on the news tonight telling the mid-state area that they themselves actually saw the "tornader" as it almost sucked up them and their "mama's brother's cousin, Bubba." Their lives flashed before their eyes as they cowered in the bathtub with 10 assorted relatives. In actuality, the damage was contained to a one-and-a-half block area. Granted, that area is literally in the front yard of Beth's school but the kids were fine and there were no reports of injuries.

I guess it's human nature to look for the drama in these situations. There were news vans from 3 networks in the parking lot of a gas station that sustained some damage. All that news coverage contributes to the drama. I'm just glad my kid (and the hundreds of other kids in that school) were all safe. It could have turned out to be an actual drama if the winds had shifted just a tiny bit.

Wow, this parenting stuff can be nerve-wracking!