This blog will probably be all over the place, I have a lot to inform on and it doesn't really have a strict order.

I recently went down to Tuscaloosa for a photography job. I have some friends down there and I hung out with them. I was supposed to leave Wednesday at one thirty-ish. I was going to meet with Amber for lunch, I was waiting on a bus to take me onto campus when she sent me a text telling me to get in my car and go home. I asked her if she was sure and she said yes, to leave then it was going to get bad.

I drove ahead of the storm the entire way home. Tuesday I had hung out with my old neighbor, a good friend of mine. We watched a soccer game and had some pizza. He was in his house when the tornado hit, thankfully he is okay but his house and his car is gone. He lost everything.

My other friends were safe on campus thankfully, but there are 36 who passed away in Tuscaloosa. The closest I am to anyone who passed away was my mother's friend's son passed away, he was a student there. I believe only two students died- but there were many other horrible stories.

I know someone who works at the hospital (which just got power) and they had two seven year old twins come in, little girls, only one survived. It just makes me sick to my stomach and to think I just came from the tsunami in Tokyo to devastation in my home state.

There is no power in northern Alabama. That doesn't just mean no internet and television to pass the time. That means no lights at night, no lights during the day to see in the pantry, the traffic signals aren't working and the police have better things to do than to direct traffic so you have to treat them all like a four way stop. The gas stations can't pump gas, you can't leave town because hardly anyone has a full tank. No stores are open, so you can't get food and even if you did you can't get anything that needs to be refrigerated because we have no power to keep anything cool.
We can't leave town because looters are already coming in. My dad, step dad and aunt all have guns and are ready to use them. The Governor has told us we have the right to defend our property and homes. My Dad took me and my brothers out of town for the weekend so we could have warm showers and power for a little while. I just got the internet to work so I can update all of this.

All the lines of power going into my county are messed up, over 200 lines are down. I was lucky there wasn't any damage near me, I still have my house and my things but I have nightmares about the tornadoes taking my things.
But let me explain this, I've grown up with these storms. Tornadoes have never been a bit deal to me. These however really make me upset.

I can't help but feel these things are following me around. It's making me fear that I'm playing with fate here and I don't like it.

We might not have power in my home for another week and a half, I'm hoping it gets done quicker. I have photo shoots planned but they are postponed until I can drive and not worry about getting gas again and charging my computer and camera.

I'm just worried people are going to start freaking out with the lack of food and gas and water has a chance of running out. It's not fun.

I am safe though, my family is safe, my friends are safe and that is all I can ask for. I just hope power goes out soon and they find the missing people alive and well.


Have a great week everyone, I probably won't be on again for a while.