You guys in OK are getting hit so hard this year while we in TX are benefiting from the much needed rain. It's difficult feeling good about my green grass . . .

Stay safe.

This time last year we were already watering our lawn's because the drought was so bad. Now we're getting a couple of gully washers a week. Not all tornadic storms though. Hate the tornadoes but love the rain!

The tornado was 2.6 miles wide. That is huge!

Unreal. A friend of mine's uncle's place near El Reno was destroyed, but they were safe thank goodness. Glad you have a storm cellar! This has been some spring.

OMG Oakley stay safe! DS's former girlfriend and her family have a ranch in El Reno. I hope they're all ok. DD heads back to OU at the end of July (early to get ready for her sorority's rush) and I'm very concerned about her being there during this terrible tornado season. I LOVE Oklahoma but hate it being in Tornado Alley!
Keeping you all in my prayers that there are no more tornadoes this year!
Lynn

2.6 miles wide!? wow!

these big storms are amazing... if they weren't so horribly devastating, they would be awesome... quite the phenomena

Really feel bad for the folks in the tornado/storm areas.

Dumb question-but what is the difference between a storm cellar and a basement? Is it a seperate structure? Would one presumably be safer than the other?

My SIL was in OK last week for my nephews graduation from basic training. I think he's at Fort Sill(?) Her plane home had to be rerouted to El Paso due to the storms. Hope the next round of storms brings only gentle rains and recharges your aquifers!

Oakley, so glad you are ok.

I fear that with global warming, we'll see even more of these monsters.

NBC news tonight said it was the largest in the world. Wow.

Lynn, our tornado season (normal year which this isn't due to a cold spring) is usually over mid-June. We have a small tornado season in October when the cold and hot air masses meet up again.

Pesky, a basement is under the house. A storm cellar is a shelter either built under a garage floor, which are pretty small, or outside the house. We have our's outside the house. We keep our cellar sprayed 4 times a year by Terminix, and when I looked at the floor the other night there were several dead scorpions. Yikes!

Annie, I thought about that also, but I read a couple of weeks ago that these large tornadoes have been around for years but usually hit rural area's.

There was damage with the last one, but nothing like it was in Moore.

Know what was really freaky? While we were gathered in the LR watching the weather updates, the three most important local storm chasers were all in our little town! That's never good. lol.

It's hard to believe though that 3 other chasers from out of state died. :(

So happy to read that you were ok through the storm the other night oakley. Was thinking about you and all of the others in the path of that (was it Friday nite?) storm(s). Gosh, Oklahomans are made of some strong stuff. I know I couldn't live through the waiting and worrying season after season.

Anyhoo, just glad to read you're ok. Great that you have a storm cellar, and very kind of you to include your neighbor.

We are currently having several drives for clothing, food, etc. in our area that are being trucked out to OK to help those affected.

The storm that hit prior, the one that hit Moore & the school(s)? Do you know why there isn't an evacuation place for those children attending school? It struck me as very worrisome that some schools have a place to evacuate to, but some don't? Is it a matter of money or just poor planning on the school district?

Oakley, I can't imagine having to have a shelter to take refuge from a storm. Here in Maine, where people think we have some rough weather, we really have it VERY easy.

I just Googled tornado cellars, and saw many different types. When one builds a home in 'tornado alley', is it typical for the builder to ask if you want a tornado cellar? Seeing all of this on the news lately makes me wonder more about what it's like to live in a place with storms like that.

My DIL told me that schools built before the 1999 tornado in Moore (just as bad as this last one) are required to have safe rooms for the kids. But the older schools don't have them unless a school already has a basement.

I think people here are a bit outraged because this is Oklahoma, all children should be safe at school. It's been talked about on the local news as to what can be done to all schools now.

My3dogs, it is completely up to the homeowner to ask for a storm cellar. You'd be surprised at how many new homes go up and the owners never put a cellar in.

After the latest Moore tornado, the storm cellar people are backed up with orders to 2014!

We didn't have a cellar until 1999, and boy was it scary.

Here's the type we have.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1511813}}