Rope tornado over Fairview, OK 

Tornados are Party Crashers

It was the last day of fourth grade, May 24th, 2011, and we were finally getting to the last two hours before we were summer bound. You know, those last two hours where you get lots of snacks, the teacher turns off the lights and plays a movie. We were just starting the movie when I noticed my teacher kept going in and out of the classroom. She would walk out, come back and check her phone for a couple minutes, then hastily walk back out. Pretty soon the intercom started buzzing in almost every other room dismissing students left and right. Our teacher came back and informed us that there was a tornado close to town and our parents had been informed. Besides this putting a huge damper on the joy of it being the last day of school, no one panicked. We knew tornado safety protocol before we could even multiply. Fairly quickly my classmates started getting dismissed by the intercom, their parents coming to get them. I sat in my beanbag and secretly hoped I would get to watch the end of the movie. The intercom called my name and I waved to the three classmates left behind. 

I remember walking outside to get in the car and being so confused about how the sky could look so gray and harsh, but it wasn't cold outside. When we got home, I hadn't even taken my shoes off before the sirens started going full blast. I knew to go grab my keepsakes and head down to the cellar. Our house was the only one equipped with a cellar, so we always had neighbors and friends come to take cover with us. We also had lawn chairs, bottled water, and snacks stocked up just in case we'd all be down there for a while. The mothers would always try and keep us occupied with verbal games or stories, while the Dads stood outside and watched what was happening. For me, the scariest part of tornadoes was making sure my pets got safely to our shelter, and that our show livestock would be ok in our school-sponsored barn.

 

Video of the rope tornado near Fairview, OK

This day soon would be called 'The Tornado Outbreak of May 24, 2011' because there were a total of 12 tornados that day resulting in 11 deaths and over 200 injuries (National Weather Service, 2011). The rope tornado that crossed over my town was classified as an EF-3. The worst tornado that day was classified as an EF-5 and a new record for wind gusts was set at 151 mph (Ortega p.4, 2011). In the OKC metro area, there was significant damage since they had endured 5 tornados that day. 

As we got the 'all clear' I remember seeing limbs down and a general sense that things were shaken up. People who lived out of town had a lot more damage to their barns and small buildings as well as tree/ crop damage, in regards to the EF-3 tornado. The Cedar Springs Church, which is out of town, was damaged pretty badly and to this day it has never been repaired. 

Picture of a shelter after tornado damage on May 24, 2011

Sources:

The National Weather Service: 

https://www.weather.gov/oun/events-20110524#tornado-a2

https://www.weather.gov/oun/tornadodata-county-ok-major

Overview of the May 24, 2011, Tornado Outbreak by Kiel L. Ortega

https://ams.confex.com/ams/92Annual/webprogram/Manuscript/Paper201297/ortegaetal_j4p2_symptorn2011.pdf

Picture/ Video Sources:

George Kourounis

http://www.stormchaser.ca/Tornadoes/2011_05_24_Fairview/2011_05_24_Fairview.html

Enid News & Eagle

https://www.enidnews.com/news/local_news/tornado-aftermath-fairview-rations-water-canton-lake-area-damage-substantial/article_70d83c73-c162-5a1f-89a2-f69d3e7a4ccb.html

Scott McPartland- Extreme Weather Photography

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAjJ3Ycmf6I