Tornadoes are terrifying. How could they not be? They are literally a swirling cloud of wind and debris ready to eat your house.
Whenever I tell people that tornadoes are my biggest fear, I always get the same look of disbelief verging on laughter. They obviously don't take my fear seriously.
I am absolutely terrified of these swirling funnels of doom. Having no where to go is my biggest fear. When a tornado touches down, meteorologists tell you to get as low to the ground as possible (a ditch if you're driving), a tornado shelter, somewhere in your house/building where there are no windows, or even your bath tub.
Now everyone doesn't have a tornado shelter, myself included. You can bet that when I get my own place, I will most definitely have a tornado shelter outside of my house and very close to my house I might add.
The danger of the tornado itself, is the flying debris. The swirling cloud is carrying all types of stuff that can destroy both you and your house. It's not the flying cows that have me worried, it's halves of buildings and my neighbor's car crashing into my house.
South Carolina isn't really a place that is known for their tornadoes. This is what people tell me when I see a dark cloud in the sky and instantly go into a panic attack. Even though people tell me this, it doesn't calm me down anymore or make me any less antsy.
Another thing about tornadoes that scares me, is that there isn't anything you can do once one touches down. You can't shoot at it or drive away from it, because it will catch up to you. You can chill in your tornado shelter (if you have one), lay in a ditch on the side of the road, hide in your hallway at work, or rock back and forth in the fetal position in your bath tub at home while you wait for it to pass.
If a tree crashes through your window, there isn't much you can do about it. The not knowing and no sense of control is what scares me the most about tornadoes.
Regardless of what people tell you, I'm here to let you know that if most of your nightmares consist of tornadoes, I'm right there with you. Remember that your fears are valid, and someone else probably has the same one.
