82/365: The New Year's Eve Tornado

I count us very luck today.  You are looking at the worst of the effects of the storm at our house, the normally tiny creek is out of its banks.  The forecast had been calling for unseasonably warm weather today (high of 70) and rain.  What no one was prepared for was the severity of the weather. 
 
Around 11:30 the kids and I were leaving the grocery store.  You could tell it was going to rain and I really wanted to get home before it did.  As we walked out of the store, the tornado sirens were sounding in Oakville.  Bella was terrified.  I calmed her by telling her we'd watch News Channel 5 to make sure we were safe, knowing that some munis in St. Louis County sounded the sirens if a tornado was sighted in an adjacent county.  We got home and had no sirens.  I got lunch ready and groceries stored and Bella reminded me to turn on the news.  Of course there was live storm coverage.  About that time, I heard a siren.  Now our town still sounds a siren at noon and six daily so I looked at the clock.  It read 12:02.  Hhhhmmm.  Cindy had told us the storm was headed our direction.  The siren didn't stop and the weather seemed to change instantly.  The wind picked up and hail was pelting the house.
 
"Why don't you guys play Wii in the basement before nap?"
 
That didn't fool them.  Mommy doesn't give treats like that, but they also didn't argue.  After working as a school administrator for 11 years and evacuating kids for severe weather mulitple times, I'm not one to panic.  This didn't look good though.  The satellite went out and I had to fumble with our other TV to get an antenna signal.  A funnel cloud was reported four miles NW of Waterloo; that's about 4 miles towards our house.  Boo came running up to tell me Bella was scared.  He went upstairs to get her "Snuggle" blanket.  I shushed him back down.
 
And just as quickly as it began, it ended.  The skies cleared.  The wind died down.  The rain trickled to a light drizzle.  I brought the kids upstairs and sent them to take a nap.  I went outside to see if there was any damage.  I don't think we lost even a tree limb.  I went back in and watch as the stories unfolded about the damage in the area.  A mere 15 miles away, a strong tornado touched down in Sunset Hills and wreaked hellish damage on homes, businesses and cars.  Luckily no one was injured.  Other parts of the state were not so lucky.  All told there were five tornados in Illinois and Missouri today, an odd occurance for the last day of December when we were blanketed in snow just seven days ago.  I have to say, with as odd as this year has been, it's a fitting end.