written earlier today 7.11

It is now about 6:30 in the morning.  Since 5:30 today, everyone was waiting it out in the basement and tunnels under the Iowa campus.  At 5:30, I was woken up by a really loud wind.  I glanced through the window blinds to see what seemed like lightning flashing outside.  But it wasn’t like the lightning in Nebraska.  It looked like something out of a Harry Potter movie.  You look outside it was just a white light.  My roommate and I woke up at the same time.  I didn’t think anything of it.  I thought it was just a strange windstorm of some sort and we would be safe.  A few minutes after my roommate mentioned something about a tornado, the warning signals for the building went off informing us to head to the tunnels. 

We were allowed to go back to our rooms.  Thankfully, nothing is damaged.  As we were walking up the stairs, there are just branches upon branches from trees lying outside.  It looks like branches all over—like you’re in a forest or something.  From my bedroom window, I can see the main building of the campus.  It’s where the Braille students stay and where all of the school staff work out of.  The roof looks to be torn clear off, at least from my side of the building.  I just feel really fortunate right not.  Some people have damage in their rooms like water dripping onto beds.  Another residential hall is flooded in “poop” water supposedly.  That sucks.  I’m very very fortunate.

below is a report from a weather website.  the description was 100% accurate.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
514 PM CDT MON JUL 11 2011
…PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY RESULTS FOR BENTON COUNTY INCLUDING THE TOWNS OF GARRISON AND VINTON…
LOCATION: GARRISON IOWA…430 AM CDT ON JULY 11 2011.
ESTIMATED WIND SPEEDS: STRAIGHT LINE WINDS OF 110 TO 130 MPH.
DAMAGE:
* WIDESPREAD DAMAGE TO STRUCTURES INCLUDING MANY ROOFS PARTIALLY OR FULLY REMOVED. SOME BUILDINGS HAD COLLAPSED WALLS.
* NEARLY EVERY TREE SIGNIFICANTLY DAMAGED OR SNAPPED OFF IN
TOWN.
* WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES.
LOCATION: VINTON IOWA…435 AM CDT JULY 11 2011
ESTIMATED WIND SPEEDS: STRAIGHT LINE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 110 MPH.
DAMAGE:
* NUMEROUS STRUCTURES SUFFERED MINOR TO MODERATE DAMAGE.
* MOST TREES SIGNIFICANTLY DAMAGED OR SNAPPED OFF.
* SIGNIFICANT POWER OUTAGES.
STORM SURVEYS ARE ONGOING. FURTHER INFORMATION WILL BE PROVIDED IN THE NEAR FUTURE.