A kid I know was in a tornado

A young man I game with was in a tornado while at a Boy Scout leadership event. Here is his account.


On June 11, 2008, at Little Sioux Scout Ranch (LSSR), Green Troop was in the east shelter at 6:30 p.m. I was looking to the west watching the rain, lightning, and thunder, while talking with my friend T.H. He pointed to the dark column of clouds as it came into the valley, and everyone saw it. D.K. said, “Get into the south shelter,” as the camp alarm sounded. As Green Troop and staff ran toward the south shelter, I was towards the front-to-mid-pack with the PT flag in hand. I was yelling to go left at the crossroads when I encountered some stragglers. I ran around them and deliberately slowed down in order to herd them towards the shelter. I yelled, “Keep moving!”
While moving, I turned around about half-way between the shelter and the crossroads; I could not see the administration building due to the dark clouds. The high winds spawned by the tornado bent the trees over and made it very hard to run, but adrenaline kept me going, and I made sure that everyone made it to the shelter, crossing my flags to direct them. B. closed the door as I dove to the center of the shelter and covered my head. I lay on the cold, wet floor in pitch-blackness, and I could hear the voices of friends within shouting distance. I handed my flag off to T.B. so no one would trip on it.
After the tornado passed, B. directed us to get a head count for each patrol. Thankfully, every member of Green Troop made it to the shelter. We waited ten to fifteen minutes for the strong winds to pass and noted the resounding silence as not even a frog was heard. It was humid in the shelter, so we opened the docks to the north. I looked over the valley and saw a sea of red and blue lights and noticed the road to the shelter blocked off by downed trees. A first responder walked up to the shelter and asked if anyone was injured. We reported that two scouts had jungle foot. B. informed her of the head-count, and told her that all members of Green Troop were present. The first responder left us her floodlight before moving on. We heard numerous chainsaws running non-stop. A group of responders brought us some water and the two scouts with jungle foot were walked out.
We were all pacing in the shelter when I noticed my friend T. with his arms crossed and teeth chattering. He was wearing a wet t-shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes. I took off my scout shirt and rain gear and had T. put it on in order to hold in his body heat, because I was worried that he might be in shock. I talked to T.R. about this, and he told me to keep an eye on T. and keep him warm. I had T. sit down on a bunk. A short time later, some trauma blankets were brought up to us. I got one right away for T. and informed my patrol that the blankets were available, as well as food.
Later, when my patrol looked very tired, I cleared the bunks for them to lie down. Three scouts rested on the bunks. We had several moments of silence for Red Troop. Though we had received no official word, the number of medevac helicopters heard and seen in Red Troops area told us they had been hit hard. The next two hours were spent giving our names and phone numbers to a fireman. The road had been cleared so we could pass on foot. Green Troop was moved out of the shelter one patrol at a time. We walked single file with a rescue worker by each of our sides. The sun had gone down and the rain had stopped; the ground was very muddy and I would guess the time was midnight. There were about fifty firemen on the side of the road just watching us pass; I had a very solemn feeling as I passed them.
When we arrived at the open pavilion, we noticed the many downed trees. We waited a short while before going into the administration building to give our names and home towns. We went outside to talk to some firemen who were happy to help us. We were then taken by ambulance out to the main road to a school bus. The bus took us to the high school where the Red Cross wrote down our names and the Salvation Army gave us dry socks (“Thank you!”). We were then told about Red Troop.

When I saw my friend from high school, E.J., pick up a scout from his family, I realized my family would be coming to get me as well. Awhile later my dad came in to pick me up and gave me a huge hug. I then rode home where my mom was waiting for me.


This is all to the best of my knowledge




J.
Troop XXX



The tornado claimed the lives of four Scouts from Red Troop. A link to a news story is here.