Storm Safety

Today...(well, actually as I write it is the next day...just a few minutes past midnight)September 8, as I was driving to the Stater Brother's parking lot to cash in some plastic water bottles, I heard on the radio that there were flash floods in the Phoenix , AZ area, where  our daughter and her family lives. There was a report on the radio that one woman was killed and several people were rescued from their cars on flooded roads. They had ventured out in the rain, or were caught in it by surprise at some point and were in places where flash flood waters quickly overtook them. They were taking a risk by going out in bad weather. Storm warnings were issued earlier in the day there.

I was reflecting on how I myself was taking a risk by venturing forth the 4 blocks to the store in my car because at the time (about 4:30 pm or so) , the whole eastern sky above our Victor Valley was filled with a dark ominous cloud. I As I stood there waiting to put my bottles in the blue bins, a saw a huge long straight bolt of lightning similar to the one in this picture. Then the thunder came. It shook me up because there I was: exposed!

 I got my little receipt and decided to cash it in at the store so I drove over and parked closer to the store. As I walked toward the store doors, more lightning flashed in the eastern sky...and there was a partial rainbow in the sky.

There was very little rain from all this drama...a few drops fell, that's it...

but let me put here a sentence from the official warning message posted online for Arizona's people today:

  
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...  
  
IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNING AREA...GO INSIDE A STURDY BUILDING.  
REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS AND  
DEADLY LIGHTNING.  
  
IN ADDITION TO DAMAGING WINDS...FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING IS  
OCCURRING. GET TO SHELTER INSIDE OF A STURDY BUILDING. REMEMBER...IF  
YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY  
LIGHTNING.