Three blocks from the Destruction

Several people emailed/called me yesterday asking if we were okay following the string of tornados that tore through Northern Colorado yesterday. First off, thank you for your concern. I am happy and very, very grateful to say that my house and my family are all just fine. The girls (and boys for that matter) did well through it all. (My stupid dog had a total panic attack though!) Rob kept them calm and busy. The only time they got a little worried is when the power went out, but it came back on last night about 5:30. It's is truly amazing we had power restored that quickly considering the damage. Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me give a survey of what I saw last night and this morning. I am truly humbled by what I saw.

I work in Loveland, but live in Gilcrest. I had heard reports of the devastation in Gilcrest so I did not know what to expect on the way home. I had heard reports that CR 42 was closed (I live 1/2 block off CR42 in Gilcrest), so the ride home was going to be interesting. I normally take Hwy 34 home, but it was still closed due to back ups and debris on and to the side of the road. I was forced to take back roads. When I got to the intersection of HWY 402 and 257, it stops at the top of a big hill with a wide panoramic view. It was an awe inspiring sight from there. You could see a line of haze running from Gilcrest all the way up to Windsor. At that point, you couldn't see the damage, but the line of haze was incredible enough. I was sorry I didn't have my camera.

Milliken's power was still out as I passed through. There was some tree branches and some minor debris that I saw, but nothing substantial. Turning south on Hwy 60, you could start to see a line of trees that were completely bare. As I turned onto CR42, everything looked fine. The house on the corner looked like it was not damaged at all. Further down, the little farm house sustained a little damaged, but it didn't look like anything substantial. A little further down, a larger farm looked like it took a bit more damaged. It was hard to see the damage on the house, but their out-buildings looked like they had their roofs all but peeled off. There were some large branches and small trees down. Just past this house was an incredible site. Huge shreads of metal lay on either side of the road, some an big as 10 feet high or more. This was what looked like the remnants of a silo. My heart started to race. Reality was starting to appear. Then I looked up. There use to be a beautiful red brick house with beautiful landscaping standing there. The house was completly destroyed. I started to shake and cry as I stared at what was left of the house. This use to be an amazing house. It had been up for sale and had JUST been put under contract! News crews were on either side of the road. On the south side of the road was another farm house that was completely destroyed. Trees were broken on either side of the road and debris was everywhere. I came to a stop at the stop sign and saw the beautiful house to the north that sustained some pretty heavy damage, but was still in tact for the most part. There use to be a warning barrier at this intersection so cars would not end up in the water-filled ditch (this is a bendy, awkward intersection), but the barrier was twisted and mangled. I couldn't stop shaking and crying. All of this devastation was so close. It hurt to think of what my neighbors must be going through and how scary this all must have been. As I continued east on CR42, I saw ALL of the power poles on the north side of the street snapped in half like toothpicks and embedded in the dirt where they fell. As I approached my street, the damage and destruction just disappeared. I turned down my street and saw everything was just fine, although the destruction and damage started just three blocks away. I pulled into the driveway and sat there and cried. I cried for those people who just lost their homes. I cried in selfishness and gratitude that my house and my family dodged such a huge disaster. It was truly the most humbling moment in my life. I went inside and hugged my husband and my children and cried. We were so very lucky and we were thanking the stars. I wandered around my house in tears, looking at everything that COULD have been lost. I looked at all the pictures on the walls, imagining them buried and broken. You really don't think about things like this happening and what you would do if you were to lose everything in a split second. I'm thinking about that now, for sure.

This morning, most of CR42 is shut down because of the downed power poles. The utility company was already out working to remove the broken poles and get new ones up. It's amazing how they have responded to this disaster and they should definitely be commended. I had to take some back roads in order to get to work so I was able to see more of the damage that the tornado left in it's wake. I saw a couple other house all but destroyed. Fences were broken. Street/traffic signs were literally bent in half. Trees were uprooted or completely bare (with nothing left but the trunk and some branches). You could literally look northeast and see the path of the tornado.

I know Gilcrest did not sustain even CLOSE to the damage that the town of Windsor did, but it was so difficult seeing this damage so close to my home. So close to my children. Our thoughts are definitely with those people affected by these tornados yesterday, inluding my neighbors. May they find strength to get through this.