The Storm House

The North Bay Fire Department brought their "storm house" out to the Boy Scout Jamboree for a demonstration.



We got to the house just as the man running it came back from lunch and were lucky enough to have him and the house all to ourselves.

The inside is set up like a little house so we sat down on the couch and listened while he talked about being prepared for a storm, having a plan and knowing what to do and what not to do.

Then he asked if we wanted to experience a tornado or a hurricane.

Both boys wanted the tornado while their Mom was thinking that she didn't want either.

I hate storms.

So the man turned on the television and said "Here we go."

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire was playing on the tv and then the red alert bar started coming across the screen warning of a tornado in the area.

This trailer is rigged to the hilt with surround sound and as the warning started flashing we could hear the wind outside picking up.

The blinds started to shake a little and we could hear thunder rumbling in the distance.

Lightning started flashing, we could hear rain hitting the roof and the tv went out and then came back on - this time with a more urgent warning that a tornado was on the ground and that everyone needed to take shelter.

The power started flickering and then the lights went out and an emergency radio kicked on with more warnings about the tornado.

By now the wind was howling, rain was beating on the roof and the thunder was really loud.

And then we heard it.

That freight train sound you read about and hope to God you never hear in person.

It got louder and louder and we could hear metal shrieking and tearing and all kinds of other really scary noises.

The Island King looked at me and said he was having trouble not throwing himself on the floor and covering his head.

The trailer started shaking and even though I knew it was only a simulation I was really starting to get nervous.

At the peak the trailer was shaking and the noise was so loud you couldn't even hear yourself think.

Slowly the wind and noise subsided and the rain and thunder faded off.

The whole thing lasted about 5 minutes but it felt like an eternity.

Wow.

Talk about a realistic experience!

And it really reinforced my storm hate.

This is a great learning tool and the man running it did a wonderful job of explaining everything to the boys and answering their questions.

We all learned something from the experience and I appreciate seeing our tax dollars at work.

The storm house was definitely money well spent.

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