Ray asked for my reminisces of the 1987 tornado (F4) here in Edmonton. Yes, I was here that day. I hadn't seen great sheets of rain and flooding like that since I was a little girl in the West Indies. Only when I headed home that I and my fellow bus passengers realized that something terrible had happened. All the streets were flooded. The traffic lights flashed red. Our driver struggled to get us through the stalled traffic and the great lakes of water flooding the roads. I saw children frolicking in the instant lakes. All I wanted to do was hurry to the sitters and pick up my babies. The worst we suffered besides the terror (we anxiously listened to radio reports of a second cell on it's way) were a few lost shingles. The people of Evergreen Trailer Park were not so fortunate.
http://datalib.library.ualberta.ca/tornado/
It's a rare day in Edmonton when we get the weather conditions for a tornado, but I'll never forget them. I'll never forget the green sky, the black swirling clouds. In 2000, my hubby and I were passing by when the Pine Lake tornado (F3) struck, though we didn't know it at the time. I commented to my hubby that it looked like a killer cloud. It was. When we saw emergency vehicles rushing in the direction of Pine Lake shortly after, great big emergency vehicles rushing down the highway, lights flashing, towing pontoon boats, I never even made the connection.
http://www.ontariostorms.com/2000/jul/14/
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Edmontonians are great for rallying support after a disaster. Local relief agencies were flooded with clothing and other items in the days that followed. Our phone system was flooded too, by relatives around the world fearing the worst. It took my Aunt three days to get through, she was frantic. The people of Evergreen Trailer Park haven't forgotten their neighbours. A memorial has been erected in their memory, Pillars of Love.
