Second Tornado, Same Feeling: A Woman's Chilling Deja Vu Experience

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Post on Jan 26, 2025

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Second Tornado, Same Feeling: A Woman's Chilling Deja Vu Experience

Let me tell you something, folks. Life can throw some serious curveballs. I'm talking major curveballs, the kind that leave you speechless and wondering if you're living in some weird, twisted movie. That's exactly what happened to me – twice. Yep, two tornadoes. Two completely different storms, different locations, even different years. But the feeling? The feeling was exactly the same. It was a chilling, bone-deep deja vu that still sends shivers down my spine.

The First Hit: Oklahoma City, 1999

It was May 3rd, 1999. I was just a kid, maybe 12 years old, living in Oklahoma City with my family. We'd always had thunderstorms, of course. Oklahoma is, like, the thunderstorm capital, right? But this one...this was different. The air felt heavy, thick like someone had poured honey all over everything. I remember the eerie stillness before the storm hit, that weird quiet that precedes a total freak-out.

Suddenly, the wind picked up – not just a normal gust, but a full-blown assault. Things started flying everywhere. My mom screamed, grabbing my little brother and me. We huddled in the hallway, the most secure place we’d practiced for, as the house groaned and shook. Then, the unmistakable sound – the roar of a tornado. A monstrous sound that's impossible to describe, unless you've heard it yourself. It sounds like a freight train mixed with the screams of banshees, all wrapped up in a terrifying sonic boom. We prayed. We just prayed.

The tornado ripped through, leaving a trail of destruction behind it. Our home was one of the unlucky ones. The damage was devastating. We lost almost everything. But we were alive. That's what mattered, right? Wrong. It messed me up for years. The sheer terror was something I never forgot, a primal fear that lived deep within.

Fast Forward: Kansas, 2019

Twenty years later, life had, thankfully, been pretty amazing. I'd moved to Kansas, built a career, found my soulmate, John. We'd bought a beautiful new house. Everything was perfect, or so I thought.

Then, May 17th, 2019, rolled around. I kid you not, the feeling was like I was reliving the same day, the exact same day from twenty years before. It started the same way: an eerie stillness, that heavy, honey-thick air. The sky turned a terrifying green, just like that day in Oklahoma City. I felt a gut-wrenching sense of dread, a chilling premonition. That same primal fear I'd thought I'd buried reappeared, rising from its grave.

This time, John and I were in the basement, our heads ducked down, listening to the radio. We could hear the sirens. The wind picked up, stronger than anything I'd ever experienced. The sound of the tornado coming directly at us echoed in my mind. Twenty years, two different states, a whole lifetime in between, but the fear… oh my god, the feeling was identical.

It was the same. Exactly the same. That sickening dread, the feeling of helplessness, the primal terror… It was like I was reliving that night all over again. The house shook, this time stronger. The wind howled like a banshee. The deafening roar. I knew exactly what was happening. My body went into full-blown panic. This time, at least I was prepared. We had a safe place, in our basement.

This tornado was just as destructive as the first. But this time, we were much safer. And I knew more about what to do, how to prepare myself mentally. This was a significant advantage.

Lessons Learned: The Importance of Preparation and Mental Fortitude

Looking back, I've learned some valuable lessons. First, preparation is key. Knowing what to do in an emergency is crucial. It’s not just about having a safe room; it’s about having an emergency plan, supplies, and knowing your escape routes. Go to your local emergency management office and talk to them! They're awesome and have tons of helpful tips! I learned my lesson in 1999.

But equally important, maybe more important, is mental preparation. Dealing with trauma requires a lot of emotional work. I wasn't prepared for the sheer psychological impact of experiencing a tornado a second time. The deja vu was intense and extremely stressful. It forced me to confront my past trauma. That was the most difficult part. So I went to counseling, I talked to friends and family, and I allowed myself to grieve the loss of what I’d gone through, both emotionally and physically. This time around, I handled things much differently.

The power of community shouldn't be ignored either. After both tornadoes, the support from our community was overwhelming. People rallied together, helping each other rebuild and recover. So, reach out to others. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

If you live in a tornado-prone area, please, please take the time to prepare. Get a weather radio, know your safe place, and make an emergency plan. But, you also gotta prepare yourself mentally and emotionally to help you deal with the stress and anxiety and that terrifying feeling of what might come.

For me, the deja vu experience of living through two major tornadoes reinforced just how important preparation is – both physically and mentally. It's something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, but it also made me stronger, more resilient. And believe me, it taught me to appreciate what I have more than ever before. Life can be unpredictable and sometimes really, really crappy. But embracing that unpredictability, with a mix of fear and preparedness, actually makes it a little more enjoyable. Okay, maybe not enjoyable, but definitely more bearable.