No Thursday tea for me either. We had a tornado! Southeastern Ohio, Wayne County - 8 houses down from me (about a mile) houses and property devastated! Ohio Agricultural Research and Developmental Center (OARDC) and it's arboretum nearly demolished! Sad, sad, sad.

I just happened to turn on the TV news at 5pm Thursday, and they were putting out warnings of a coming tornado. The sky was ugly, but we had little rain or wind so far that day; they announced the path - coming right towards my road in 11min. Then the electric went off. Dummy me went outside on the porch and looked for it, couldn't see or hear a thing. Yes, the clouds were scary but I never saw a tornado before, didn't no what to look for. Saw a wide fuzzy grey thing hanging down from the wall cloud. Finally I went inside as a white wall of rain came across the field (as it's known to do) and I braced the front door from blowing open (as it's known to do). Rained hard for a minute or two and that was it. No hard wind at all.

Afterwards the phone calls started, asking if I was ok! Sure, I was fine - why? Well, an hour later my neighbor stopped and told me it was pure devastation right down the road and she told me to get in the van and took me there. We and hundreds of other gawkers started out and went where we shouldn't have been. Getting in the way! We went around the bypass which takes you past the arboretum - TERRIBLE DAMAGE. I was shocked at all the trees down.

I can't describe what it looks like closer to the city of Wooster near the OARDC and ATI agricultural university. Of course we can't get near even as of today. So many trees down and homes damaged.

Anyhow, my electric has been off since 5:30pm.Thursday and just came back on an hour ago. I was at Mom's getting more water, came home to lights. I am sure luckier than those people right down the road. Now I know what a funnel cloud looks like, because there was a photo of it on the front page of the newspaper today - and that is what I saw from my front porch! I didn't even know it then. I saw no wind, heard no sound. Unbelievable.

Good to be back - and safe.

Schoolhouse- Thank goodness you're okay!!!

That's so scary! I still remember being six years old, spending the whole night in the walk-in linen closet with my little brother and my parents. That was in Arkansas on an Air Force Base. There were no basements, no storm cellars, just the linen closet. Still scary to think about...but the tornado was about 20 miles away from us.

How terrible for your neighbors and how close a call for you. I'm so glad you're okay!!! :)

Thanks, yes I'm very lucky. But I never heed those "go to the basement" warnings, thinking it will never happen to my house. Next time I may not be so lucky. However, several years ago, a tornado did go over my house (later found out from my mother who heard it on tv)and I remember having to hold the front door shut against the wind and rain coming in. Water came in through the window frame too. I just thought it was a bad rain storm. Ugh.

Hiding in a closet must have been terrifying. A similar thing happened to a lady over on the next road whose house was hit Thursday. She had no basement and hid in a closet with her dog.

I was pretty scared about the tornado possibly coming to our house, but most of that was probably worried the Wicked Witch of the West might show up...I was a huge Wizard of Oz fan! LOL