TheStrowd goes Tornadoing (sp?)

DISCLAIMER: I hope that this post is taken in a spirit of good humor. Michael Strowd, who is the primary target of this Razor post, canceled his vacation plans and used his free time, not on pursuits of leisure, but on helping people reclaim their lives. My heart goes out to the victims of the storm, but at the Razor we generally pay tribute to people by ridiculing them. Kelli, who I like very much, enjoys making snide comments about me on her blog, so is fair game. Again, I'm saddened by the devastation to the northern portion of my state, and my thoughts/prayers are with the victims, but the Razor, as always, is written tongue-in-cheek.


World,

Thank you for all the e-mails of concern. I'm sorry I've not been able to respond to each of you, but I appreciate your writing. Yes, I live in Alabama, which last week was hit by a record number of tornadoes. However, I live in S. Alabama and we came through fine. My family is all OK too.

TheStrowd and his wife were effected by the tornado, but they survived. When I finally got through to Michael, he relayed the following story to me.

The afternoon of the storm, he looked out the front door of their house, saw a tornado bearing down on their area, and frantically attempted to gather Kelli and Chloe (dog) into the car so they could head for safety. Kelli, steely-eyed in the face of danger, kindly told Michael that she was not finished styling her hair and she wasn't going anywhere until her pigtails were perfectly braided.

Sadly, the extra 5 minutes she required to get ready allowed the tornado to completely engulf them. They were sucked up into the storm and violently carried several miles before being dumped into a muddy swamp. They had a few cuts, scratches, bumps, and bruises but other than that they were OK. Michael didn't tell me, but I'm pretty sure he was hungry.

Dazed and confused from their ordeal, they decided to wait for rescuers to reach them. After several hours in the mud, Michael and Kelli suffered the humiliation of being rescued by a group of Alabama Crimson Tide Fans. Here is a photo from the dramatic rescue:

Shockingly, her pigtails still look great!

Another photo, this one of TheStrowd, with his rescuer:

That guy has no idea how dangerous it is to hold a hot dog so close to Michael.

You might think that after experiencing a near death experience, TheStrowd would have been given some perspective on the Alabama/Auburn rivalry. It was not to be. Here is the direct quote that he relayed to me:

"I would have rather died than been saved by an Alabama fan. I know the Lord promises to never give us more than we can bear, but this is almost too much. I'm hungry."

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To TheStrowd, my parents, and all of the other volunteers who are helping with the rebuilding process, I salute you. You make up for lazy people like me. To the victims of the storms, I'm sorry for what you're going through. If you need somewhere to live, you must need only present yourself at my doorstep (limit of 6). You'll be fed/sheltered until you find it convenient to leave.

CYA