TORNADOS

[aussiefriend]

Dear Mock users,

I am so sorry I have been away and I am checking that all my mock friends are safe and ok after the devastation in US. I have just been watching it on the news and I am absolutely heartbroken for some of the residents and what they are going through. The physical loss is huge and is one thing, but the loss of human life is significant and I am so upset for you guys and relatives of those people.

What we have to realise sometimes that these are not just numbers they are actual people. And that is devastating and how much suffering some people must be going through.

You guys were there for me when they storms were here in Oz even though I was safe. I just want to let you know I am here for you for support and I care that you are all safe.

even to the athiests you are in my prayers.

[aussiefriend]

Mockers,

no one replied to my tornadoes thread, is this because everyone is safe, or it has already been discussed in here somewhere?

Is everyone safe? And relatives and friends? Very scary stuff. I saw it on TV.

[Cracker]

It was pretty scary night, aussie. The weather forcasters did a good job telling people it was coming, but the storms hit sooner than people thought. You can't do much to protect yourself other than completely leave the area. Many of the people killed were elderly folks who couldn't drive.

I don't know anyone personally who was killed. A friend who lives in a hard-hit county knows several people who lost everything. Today I dropped off a case of water that will be taken to a neighboring county. Most communities are taking care of their own cleanup and recovery.

There was some looting. People took advantage of the situation by taking water heaters, furnaces, air conditioners, etc. There are always those who take advantage of others' misery.

[aussiefriend]

wow that's amazing to hear that. I mean, I saw there were people there handing out sandwiches and drinks and the people were so grateful. It's so real and important to help in anyway you can when you are near that area. And I guess the fact that you know someone who knows someone, shows that it's very real. Those people that loot in those situations bring huge bad luck on themselves. It's gross.

I feel helpless from here watching on, thinking if I was over there I would try and do something, but really after a devastation such as that it is so limited in what you can do. Like, if I lived near there I might help in a kitchen somewhere or something like that. I feel so sad for the people that lost family or lost their lives, at the end of the day, I hope the people that got looted just realise that they are lucky to be alive and it dosent matter about belongings, even though that's a loss, they can rebuild. How scary that storm looked.

[Maggot]

You must be hell to drive a long distance in a car with.

[aussiefriend]

ahahahahha Maggot up to his old tricks. I am a singer.

[Cracker]

hahahahaha

aussie, you crack me up.

Now we are waiting on this:

Great Brood of Cicadas Poised to Swarm the South




(NewsCore) - ATLANTA -- Days after storms and tornadoes battered southern states, they are bracing for another ominous sight overhead, National Public Radio reported Saturday.

Billions of Brood 19 cicadas are expected to begin appearing in early May. Also called the Great Southern Brood, their emergence across the American south is something that happens only once every 13 years.

This particular type of cicada is unusual for reasons other than the fact that they have been developing underground for the past 13 years. They also travel in massive swarms that can produce a buzz of up to 85 decibels, louder than the sound of a jet flying overhead.

The cicadas that will crawl up out of the ground in the next few weeks are the offspring of the bugs that appeared in 1998. After emerging from the soil, the nymphs gather in trees, shed their skins and almost immediately begin making a deafening sound that will last all day, from dawn to dusk.

It is not only the sound, but also the smell, of the cicadas that can be alarming to people who have never seen the swarm before. The bugs survive only for a few weeks, just long enough to find mates, ensuring another brood will emerge in 2024, before they begin dying off. Because they travel in huge groups, the stench can be overwhelming when they begin to die, experts say.

One entomologist, Johannes Schul told the Missourian, that some people worry the sound is so loud it can damage their ears. He said the cicadas don't cause hearing loss but their noise is known to wear on people's nerves.


Then pestilence, I think. Don't remember...

[Lady Cop]

so, similar to a plague of locusts?
i remember as a kid finding the shells (exoskeletons) of these bugs.

cicadas

[aussiefriend]

yes me too! Finding these brown shells, and they make a loud noise at night. But I have never seen them since. I wonder what it means?

What part did you find funny Cracker the fact I sing on roadtrips or Glenn Beck interpretations?

[ramseycat]

My nephew goes to Bama. Finals were cancelled and the students were sent home. As far as he knows, 36 students have been confirmed dead. He said it was horrifying to look around Tuscaloosa and see the devastation.

[username]

I'd move. Because of the cicadas, not the tornadoes.

[Fibonacci Prima]

Between the fires still going on north of here, the damn locusts, and the freaked out weather, I'm ready to leave as well.

ramseycat, that's so sad. I can't imagine the pain of their families. Glad your nephew is ok. Dumb question, but will they make up finals later? How do they work that?

[Cynical Ninja]

Aussiefriend is the forum equivalent of the worlds smallest violin playing just for you.

[Duchess]

I think that's a darling analogy of Aussie. It's so true. Hahaha!

[aussiefriend]

yeh OP but if you were sick you wouldn't be complaining if I was nursing you! I am a bloody good nurse!

[Maggot]

You breastfeed?

[aussiefriend]

ahahahahaha you crack me up! No but I can teach. (addit: That does not involve me bringing my own out to teach!).