Joplin.
Glade Springs.
Tuscaloosa.
Greenville.
Jarrell.
Tulsa.
Topeka.
These towns have pretty much nothing at all in common. The one thing they do have in common is mother nature’s fury.
Wildfires, record breaking heat, record breaking ice storms, record breaking blizzards, a tsunami hitting the west coast, earthquakes in the Carolinas. This year has had some absolutely wild weather. I believe Mother Nature has had a severe case of P.M.D.D.
The cities listed above are all victims of this P.M.D.D. and the need for mother nature to take Midol or Pamprin. They didn’t all occur this year, yet some residents of Greenville or Jarrell remember it like it was yesterday. Any of these towns for the next 20 years will shudder at the sound of a tornado siren. Their towns were decimated, the destructive path of the tornado tearing a hole in everyone around the world’s hearts.
Lou and I have been fairly lucky the last two years. We have had two hail storms, yet no tornadoes since our first summer together, two years ago. Unfortunately, as long as the tornado strikes where there’s a road, brothers and sisters of the highway will be there.
A few things have bothered me when the tornadoes hit this year, and in years past. The main thing is, are people and news agencies so stupid as to never realize that we’re out here, and we have nowhere to go? Some drivers lose everything due to a tornado, for all they have is their rig and the stuff in it. Some lose their lives, yet it’s rarely, if ever, mentioned.
The day that the Glade Springs tornado struck, drivers were who it struck. In the wee hours of the morning, a tornado made a direct hit on the Petro. That same day, the southeast was hit hard by tornadoes. The destruction of Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, and other populated areas in MS, AL, and GA were highlighted. I heard on the news about one driver who died. His truck was picked up, with the trailer still intact, and the cab was directly thrown into a tree by the storm. It is believed he died on impact.
Here’s where this day gets confusing to anyone with even half a brain. There were trucks along nature’s warpath that day. How many injuries? Countless. How many driver/trucker fatalities? NO ONE KNOWS! Upon talking to my main girl, Lizz, I find out that some drivers she knew of died down in the southeast. She also told me someone in Glade Springs who helped with clean up counted 11 filled body bags. Now, go to the communications department of TA/Petro, and they will tell you no one died. I’ve seen the pictures, and will be the first to tell you that if no one was killed, it would be a miracle.
Joplin was the next whopper for our country as far as tornadoes go (yes, I know there were plenty in between, but we’re talking HUGE tornadoes). I saw on Twitter that Joplin was hit, downtown was hit. All of a sudden, a driver in Joplin let everyone know that the J was hit also. The media was a sleeping dog when it came down to the J getting a direct hit, just as they were in Glade Springs.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I feel sorry for the people who live in these places, but, my heart gets hit harder by the ones affected while they’re trying to provide for their families, and have to park in unknown towns, trusting that mother nature will be kind that night. They’re the ones who brings Americans their goods, and they’re the first ones Americans forget.
Drivers were also affected trying to load and unload in the last two years. The first blow was from a Smuckers distribution center. They left the drivers in the truck, told them to stay there, and all the employees took cover. The second was a Kraft distribution center in Illinois. Smuckers issued an apology, but I don’t think that’s efficient enough. What if said drivers would have died? Granted, they were safe, but who knew that when this was done. The excuse is outsourcing. It bares your name, make sure it’s run right.
Bottom line, trucks can fly when mother nature is at her worst. Give the drivers the respect they deserve. I’m sick of the injuries, deaths, and emotional blows they deal with in these times going unnoticed. If you’ve been through one in a house, just imagine it in a small semi.
A major thank you to Dustin Bates, Michael Sweeney, Lizz Boggs, and James Hightower for the pictures.
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