Danger! Tornado alarms in MPLS near-Western Burbbs

We just went threw one VERY heavy downpour in St. Louis Park,Minnesota. Thats the nearest suburb to the near westren area to Minneapolis. It rained so hard, along with hail you could not see accross the street. Now its just dealthy still out side, never a good sign in the midwest. The houses and streets are small here, so when you can't see the house next door, this is not a good thing. My power went out about ten minutes ago, but I have a generator that will cover the baiscs, computer and back-up communications, plus heat which we don't need today, house alarms, fire sprinklers, fridge and TV. (I really hate not knowing whats going on)

I grew up in the midwest and don't like seeing the sky pea green or hearing what sounds like baseballs hitting he house. Not often a good sign. The house was built in 1953 by an ex-Air Force Col. The ceiling is almost two feet steel reinforced concrete,upper level also steel reinforced but two feet concrete, and the lower level is nothing short of a bomb shelter with three feet steel reinforced concrete. Never met him but I already love that man. I put in the generator and alarms, but he put in a 500 gallon emergency water supply split between two tanks at oppisite sides of the house. He put in the fire sprinklers that if the municiple is cut will pull from my water tanks unless I order it by-passed. I can by-pass the system using a coded phrase on the internet. Had to drag kitty downstairs, he was not happy to be woke up. Thats just to bad, I woke him up any way. It seemed to have moved east towered Wisconsin. I have a bad idea I will later inspect my solar cells and they will be shredded. Could be worse gang, me or kitty could be shredded. And so it goes...

[edit on 20-8-2009 by asala]

Please post again after you have had a chance to get out and look around. We had those monster hailstones when I lived in Kansas. I hope your car was in the garage! I had mine totaled by hail, and then got screwed by the insurance company.

I grew up in the midwest and don't like seeing the sky pea green or hearing what sounds like baseballs hitting he house. Not often a good sign.

I'd go to a cellar down below, or the bathroom, (both for leaving a fear snip in it, and a bit of protection I guess).

Get a radio, and stay safe, but if your on here, check the weather, and try to figure out, when it'll be over, so you don't walk out, and well get screwed.

reply to post by arbiture


LIVE on FOX9 TV they are showing a 200' tree laying across 2 lanes street completely blocking traffic.

Sirens went off about an hour ago. Twisters have touched down based on viewer reports.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/b7787bcc2157.jpg[/atsimg]

reply to post by arbiture


Ya the heavy rain has now been affecting the cities a little NW of where you are. The sky is still a greyish blue so not too many worries over here I'm just really really wet

You sound like you are the safest person in your area, I have no doubt about that at all

Let us all know how you end up.

[edit on 02/04/2009 by Cool Breeze]

Wow good to see some fellow Minnesotans on here... always thought I was alone

reply to post by arbiture


I know what you mean about the deathly calm, and the green/yellow tint to the sky. I'm just west of you in North Dakota, and get to enjoy this type of weather at least once or twice a year. In fact, as im writing this, a heavy downpour has just started here.

Glad to see that you are so well equipped to handle an emergency though, with that kind of structural support, as well as your own power source and water, I would imagine you would handle an actual emergency situation better than most!

Radar is showing mostly just rain, as well as a Flood Advisory for your area, but looks like most of the severe weather is on the way out, unless it starts circulating over the Minneapolis area. Let us know how it turns out, stay safe.

reply to post by Cool Breeze


Indeed, Not really in the Twin Cities but close enough to see it from my front porch.

reply to post by DrMattMaddix


I am a tad bit farther away but within about as half hour of that scrambled mess that is St. Paul

Thanks all of you guys for your kind support! It means a lot to me. You are right about my house, I think it could survive a near if not direct nuclear strike. (Really hope I never find THAT out!). The amount of steel rebar in the concrete makes is something I need to keep an eye on. The colonel who built the place did so in thirty six, independant sections, so if one starts to rust, I don't have to reinvent the wheel, just take out that section and slide a new one in. Very bright guy this colonel. Sad to say he died in 1986, but I am sending a thank you note to his widow. Some things about the house are very currious. The last few years of his life he was stuck in a wheel-chair. He had a perpetual fear of fire, thats when he put in the fire sprinklers.

I'm in the slow process of "rigging" the house to monitor it's structural integrity, and mapping for a whole host of problems. If the 35W bridge over the Mississippi, had this imbedded with init's structure we could have saved lives. numerouse factors, as well as cost...
There is a lot of system and structual redundancy in design of my house design; meaning failure of any componant will not cause a life and death problem. He also put in a small elevator. It's sealed from smoke and since it's hydralic, in a power failure will just lower you to the bottom level. There is an emergency exit at the lower level (which is underground).

The most severe damage I saw in my immediate area was a guy lost part of his garage roof, that and LOTS of down branch's. The strangest thing I saw was a guy a few doors down from me had his cyclone fence, in part, pulled out of the ground. His home was not touched. I have read tornados can drive straw into trees, peal the bark off that same tree, and leave it standing. I called the National Weather Service and University of Minnesota. Both said it sounded like a microburst. A very selective one at that. I gave the phone numbers of the appropriate agencies to my neighbor so if he wanted to call them its, hey its his property. But this was so weird, most likely I would not call anyone (other then the insurance guy) with out solid no-holds bared proof Thanks again for your support, and as always please forgive spelling.(I have spell-checker at work, but not here)I was very lucky, we all were. Even my solar cells will need at most minor repair. I got a bargain in the deal.

I won't forget that

Originally posted by Cool Breeze
Wow good to see some fellow Minnesotans on here... always thought I was alone

No one is never really alone, just reach out to people. Were all here to help.

reply to post by seadragoniii


May have put in a misplaced topic here, other then tornados. If so, sorry gang.

Originally posted by novacs4me
Please post again after you have had a chance to get out and look around. We had those monster hailstones when I lived in Kansas. I hope your car was in the garage! I had mine totaled by hail, and then got screwed by the insurance company.

I was lucky my car wasin the garage. I have lived here for thirty years never saw the weather change so abruptly. I think Steven Spielberg had some to do with this. ..