My story...
This is my story that has haunted me my whole life. I'll probably be haunted from this event from now until the day I die. My story has made me want to know more about them, and want to see them in person. I also would like to conquer my fear. Below is my story:
I sit here not that far from where it hit. From where I live now, I'm probably about a 1/2 mile away from where it happened. I really never talk about this day unless I feel comfortable talking about it. Those that I have told this story to have been left speechless, and saying “I’m glad you and your family made it through”. I’m now going to share my story with you all.
It has been 32 years (2/2/83) to the day when an F-2 tornado side-swiped the apartment that my family and I was living in. My memory is kind of foggy when trying to remember this day as I try to remember it. Yes…it was a very traumatic experience I went through, and all I hope is that I never go through it again. I’m going to be very visual in this story because I want you to see what I saw through words; instead of, images. I’m going to take you back to the day before the tornado came through.
It is February 1, 1983 in Orlando, FL. Location was at the Spanish Village Apartments (they are no longer named this). We lived on the bottom floor as another family lived above us. The layout of the apartment was weird to say the least. My sister and I bedrooms were on one side of the apartment as my parents bedroom was on the other side in the front of the apartment. This is also the start of Florida’s Tornado Season (I didn’t know this until later in life). I was a very happy, go lucky little 4 year old boy. My father was home on leave from the military. My mother was doing mom stuff taking care of everybody. My sister was home sick with the Chicken Pox. I had gone out several times that day to be outside to burn off the excess energy with playing outside. I had noticed it was quite warm like in the low 80’s, and the wind was a lot stiller than normal. I really didn’t care at that moment to know the sign of bad weather is on the way. So, the day went on. It then turned night time. I had already eaten, talked with family, bathed, and off to bed I went. I think I remember the local TV Meteorologists saying a cold front was coming through with a chance of rain, but no mention of severe weather. Off to dream land I went…zzzzzz! I was dreaming about something, but I have no clue what it was.
Anyways, I was then awakened by a thunderstorm in the middle of my dream. It was around 7:15-7:30am. I remember looking at the window with seeing daylight, which the rain pounding on the window, and quick flashes of bright light from lightning. I didn’t think much of this storm, so I tried to go back to sleep. As I was trying to go back to sleep, the thunder was getting louder and the lightning was getting brighter, the wind was blowing the downpour rain on my window of about 20-30mph, and small pea size hail was slightly tapping at the window. One of the wind gusts, thunder and lightning scared the absolute crap out of me. So I thought to myself this isn’t your run of the mill thunderstorm.
A few minutes go by. I came to the conclusion that it’s time to leave my bedroom, and head on over to my sister’s bedroom where she was sleeping. I was SCARED! I crawled on my hands and knees from my bedroom to my sister’s bedroom. Once I got there, I woke my sister up. I told her I was scared, and can I sleep on the floor right next to your bed. She said yes, and we both tried to go back to sleep. Now at this point, the weather has kicked it up a notch or two. No sleep is going on at the moment. We were in the same room for about 5-10 minutes. Now, my sister is scared right along with myself. She told me she was scared, and we should leave for Mom & Dad’s bedroom quickly. I agreed to what she was saying. So we darted to our parent’s bedroom very quickly. I really don’t remember if we ran, or walked quickly. All I know, we got there in no time.
Once we got there, I went on one side of the bed, and my sister on the other side of the bed trying to wake our parent’s up to let them know we are scared of this weather. They both came to, and asked us what was wrong. We both told them that we were scared, and can we sleep in the middle with them. They said yes, and my sister and I crawled into their bed. When we did that, my mother decided to get up, and go check all the windows to make sure they were closed. It seemed to me she was gone for a long time, but it was about 20 minutes or so.
As my mother sat in the living room after checking all the windows, the weather is now about to be at her angriest. It’s about 8:05am when my mother heard the “NOISE”…yep, freight train, a locomotive, and so on of noises you could describe a tornado. She didn’t say a word, and hauled ass to the bathroom where she then dove into the bathtub head first (btw, she was black and blue from doing that little stunt). I guess my father heard my mother or the tornado, and woke us both up to get us out of bed in a hurry. It seemed like everything was going on in slow motion; even though, it was moving at lightning speed. My father got out of bed first. Then he got my sister out of the bed, and then I was last to get out of the bed. We were all headed for the bedroom door that went to the hallway. It went in this order: my sister, myself, and my father. As my sister was mere feet away from the door is when my father shoved her through the door way, and into the hallway.
Within that split second of my father doing that…SMASH and SLAM!!!
The door slammed shut right behind my sister with my father and I inside, and the window blew in from all of the pebbles and some debris. Glass shards, pebbles, and some debris were flying through the air towards us. My father covered his body over mine to save me from harm. My father was going to pay the ultimate sacrifice by giving his life to save mine (This part of the story brings me to tears every time). This reminds me of the story last year (2010) in April during the tornado that went through Yazoo City, MS. of a mother willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice to save her children. Our parents are so brave!
Anyways, it’s over! The tornado is now gone. Like I said earlier, it felt like everything is in slow motion, but it all happened in mere seconds or minutes. My father and I were literally locked in the bedroom. The door was slammed so hard that just trying the door handle to open it wasn’t budging the door one inch. So my father got some tools to undo the hinges, and the door came right off. I don’t remember what happen after that. I think my mind went numb, and everything was a blur to me.
This is my story of what happen to me in 1983 on February 2nd some 33 years ago.