The last thing a person wants after a long day of traveling is to be evacuated from his hotel room and herded into a basement hallway filled with dated furniture that likely hasn’t seen the light of day in a decade. When traveling to the central states this time of year, however, this scenario is not uncommon.
I was in Dallas last week for mediation when the first of the major storm systems began to move through. From the time I landed at DFW, everyone was hurrying to get home before the weather turned bad. Seeing the ominous clouds beginning to build up behind the city’s skyline, it did not come as a total shock when a loud voice came over the hotel’s intercom system advising us that a tornado warning was in effect and requesting all guests to make their way to the lobby immediately.
While many patrons gathered at the bar, everyone was soon directed down stairs and into a series of tunnels connecting long forgotten staging rooms in the basement. As I was texting back and forth with Chip Merlin and a number of other friends and colleagues, I snapped this picture of our new accommodations:
Even though the weather turned south very quickly, the tornados and large hail didn’t make a direct hit on our area. Other areas were not so lucky. Neighborhoods were destroyed and countless homes and businesses were damaged by large hail. A friend on the outskirts of the storm sent me this picture.
With recent storms like the one in Dallas and the massive twister that devastated Moore, Oklahoma, everyone should take a minute to give thanks for the blessings in their life. As one victim of the recent Oklahoma tornado said, property can be rebuilt but life is precious. While there are always incredible stories that come from events like these, some (like the one below) are so touching they will stay with you forever.
http://cnettv.cnet.com/av/video/cbsnews/atlantis2/cbsnews_player_embed.swf
